We all have them. They're kind of like unruly pets we all sheepishly keep indulging. But does that mean we put them on the table next to the salt and pepper, answering the extra-loud Super Mario Brothers theme ringtone every 2 minutes? By the way, that ringtone is #4 on this week's Billboard top ringtone chart. The rest:

1 John Carpenter, Halloween   (very seasonal, don't you think?) 
2  Henry Mancini, Pink Panther    
3 Grupo Montez De Durango, Adios Amor Te Vas      
5 50 Cent, Candy Shop
6 Nickelback, Rockstar   
7 Beyonce, Irreplaceable      
8 Afroman, Because I Got High   
9 50 Cent, Best Friend
10 Rascal Flatts, What Hurts The Most

But I digress. What's the prevailing wisdom on cell phone use in restaurants? Step outside? Put it on vibrate? We all know we talk louder on the phone than we do to our tablemates (because the earpiece isn't connected to the microphone so the user can't really hear himself speaking). Is volume the central problem? Or is it that we leave our tablemates gazing, embarrassed, off into the middle distance while we take a call?

Is there a way to make it less rude?  And for a while there were restaurants with little "please turn off your cell phone signs"--that seems to have gone out the window. Does this mean restaurants, and patrons, are just resigned to shouting and Super Mario Brothers accompanying their meals?