Today I was eyeing these red potatoes, by which the yellow triangle was notedly missing. The baked potatoes are not prepared with any sort of butter, so I decide to ask on the off-chance that they are, indeed, a-okay. I ask the nearest dining hall employee, explaining that sometimes the signs are left off and blah blah.
Her: WELL THERE ISN'T MEAT ON THEM.
Me: I-
Her: REAL VEGETARIANS KNOW YOU CAN EAT POTATOES. THEY'RE NOT A MEAT. If you're still confused you can email the dietician.
I just blinked at her and said ".. oh" because honestly, I've never encountered any sort of reaction like that.. from any employee. Had I not been so shocked I would've corrected her (useful information for allergy purposes, after all), but I just walked away, leaving her to feel superior to the dumb poser-vegetarian or whatever she took me to be.
Maybe I should have said "dairy-free" right off the bat instead of "vegan," but you'd think since it was a common menu descriptor, the employees would be trained in the lingo, not to mention possess a working knowledge of the difference between vegan and vegetarian.. oh well.