Some neighbors of my parents gave them a apple pie as a house- warming
gift.

As lovely as the gesture was, it was clear from the first bite that the pie
tasted bad.

It was so inedible that my mother had to throw it away.

Ever gracious and tactful, she still felt obliged to send the neighbors a note.

It read, "Thank you very much for the apple pie. Something like that
doesn't last very long in our house."