Someone eat the last chip.

There is one chip left. It has survived the enthusiastic opening minutes, the second round of drinks and a discussion about whether anyone wants anything else. It now sits in the middle of the plate while four people pretend not to have noticed it.

Someone says, ‘You have it.’ Someone else says, ‘No, you have it.’ A third person attempts to divide it with the side of a fork. We have reached a level of diplomacy the potato did not ask for.

Here is the broken sauce position: eat the chip.

Ask once, if you like. Check that the person who ordered it has had a fair share. Then make a decision while it still has a chance. The alternative is a cold chip, abandoned by unanimous consent, which is a peculiar victory for generosity.

The last chip is a useful little test of a table. Can people say what they want? Can someone accept an offer without immediately returning it? Can dinner proceed without every minor pleasure becoming a negotiation? You learn a surprising amount while everyone is looking at the salt.

This is not an argument for the person who takes the best piece of everything before anyone else gets a look. We know that person. They have already taken the crisp corner, the larger oyster and most of the bread. They do not need encouragement.

It is an argument for being a better host, too. If you are offering the last piece, mean it. If you want it, say so. ‘I was hoping for that’ is a perfectly serviceable sentence between adults. There is usually more food in the world, and sometimes even in the kitchen.

Some things are worth a long discussion over dinner. Where to go next. Whether the restaurant has lost its nerve. What your friend meant when they said they were thinking of leaving their job. The ownership of a single cooling potato probably does not need to make the agenda.

There are exceptions. A very good chip deserves a moment of admiration. A particularly bad one may deserve an explanation. A chip sitting in a puddle of sauce might require a small piece of bread and some privacy. None of these situations is improved by leaving it untouched.

So offer it once. Take it if you want it. Order another bowl if the table is still hungry.

The chip is getting cold.