DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been a vegetarian for 15 years. It never fails that once a fellow diner finds out this information, they immediately take it upon themselves to read aloud everything on the menu that I am “allowed” to have.

It’s as if being a vegetarian means I can no longer read. I often don’t divulge my eating preferences because of this. And it never ends! I can eat with friends I’ve known for decades, and as soon as the menus are placed on the table, I am bombarded with “Oh, look, Giselle, you can have (XYZ).” Believe me when I say it happens every single time. I want it to stop. What can I say that isn’t rude? (By the way, my husband always says they are just being nice. I say they are being annoying!)

GENTLE READER: “Thank you, yes, I saw that.” And they are being annoying.

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