DEAR MISS MANNERS: My nephew is getting married quickly. I acquired the marriage invitation, and it says “vegetarian or vegan with particular dietary request.”
My nephew’s household are all meat eaters; none are vegetarian or vegan. I discovered it odd. Normally it’s the vegetarian/vegan choices which might be by particular request.
Do I point out it? Is meat a particular dietary request? It’s a brand new world, so I wasn’t positive.
I used to be considering that I'd simply go together with it and eat a giant lunch beforehand. His grandma thought it was humorous.
GENTLE READER: Grandma would discover it even funnier should you penciled in that your particular dietary request was meat.
However your hosts is not going to be so amused. Miss Manners suggests that you simply and Grandma due to this fact make plans to eat your large ol’ slab o’ cow beforehand or afterwards — and preserve the humor of the entire state of affairs to yourselves.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: The pandemic has altered life in some ways, maybe completely. One change that's grating on my nerves is primary phone courtesy.
With so many people working from house, it's now frequent to be on a enterprise name whereas listening to canines barking, infants crying or dishes being washed within the background. One individual I work with appears to name me solely whereas she is consuming her lunch.
I suppose these callers aren’t conscious of how distracting these sounds are.
I needed to ask one shopper to name again when he was by means of on the gymnasium as a result of the sound of somebody doing reps on a machine was so off-putting: wheeze, grunt, bang, wheeze, grunt, bang — consistently repeating within the background.
He was cool about it, however was I out of line? Are we supposed to simply accept this inconsideration as the brand new regular?
GENTLE READER: Lunch munching and gymnasium wheezing are certainly extremes. (“Lunch Munching and Fitness center Wheezing” would even be a wonderful title for a cartoon present.)
However, Miss Manners factors out, none of us is exempt from the occasional barking canine or wayward automobile alarm after we are working from house, even when the sound is from throughout the road. She due to this fact suggests a easy, non-accusatory, “Why don’t I name you again at a greater time?” After which hope like mad that there's one.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I've a co-worker who's obsessive about a specific film sequence that got here out once they have been youthful.
They love to speak about it, which is ok. I've seen them get very defensive, even a bit indignant, when somebody mentioned they didn’t take care of the sequence.
Once I was requested the opposite day for my opinion, I prevented the subject, as a result of I personally don't like the flicks. We work at a small firm, and it may be apparent when avoiding only one individual. How do I finest inform them that I’m not excited by that topic?
GENTLE READER: “If you happen to don’t wish to hear my opinion, then you definately in all probability shouldn’t ask.”
Please ship your inquiries to Miss Manners at her web site, www.missmanners.com; to her e-mail, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or by means of postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.