Q: I was invited to my boss's home for dinner. I mentioned that I was a vegetarian when accepting the invitation, but when dinner was served, everything was meat or cooked with meat. I awkwardly explained my situation and just sat there while everyone ate. Now at work, my boss barely talks to me. Work related conversation is often short. One co-worker told me that my boss had said that I acted rude at dinner. He is also saying other rude things about me. I did not mean to offend my boss or the other guests at dinner. 1 am afraid that if I say something, I may be treated unfairly at work. How do I go about telling my boss that I wasn't trying to be rude?
Anxious Vegetarian

A: Make an appointment to talk to your boss ASAP about a "misunderstanding." Since you are anxious about this encounter, write out what you are going to say, as backup to use in case you get nervous. Politely explain that there was apparently a misunderstanding about the dinner. [Obviously your boss doesn't understand what being vegetarian means (and is rather insensitive!) Tell him you didn't mean to be rude but, as a vegetarian, you are unable to eat meat. Make sure you use the word "unable." Explain to him that being a vegetarian is a matter of personal principle and to violate it would be the same as asking an orthodox Jew or Moslem to eat pork. Ask for his understanding. You could also point out that you have been a vegetarian for x number of years and your body cannot process meat with making you sick. Find an appropriate article from the Internet to back you up because he still may not quite believe you if he is this insensitive. If you are polite but firm (no need to be apologetic about being a vegetarian, only about the misunderstanding), this should help matters greatly. Don't delay, explaining to him is far less dangerous than letting the misunderstanding continue.