A man had cooked a delicious home-cooked meal and decided to bring it to work to share with his co-workers. However, he didn’t realize that this simple act of kindness would soon lead to a seriously uncomfortable situation that would infringe on one of his coworker’s religious beliefs.
The Home-Cooked Meal
After cooking the meal, the man brought it to work and informed his coworkers what it was, who were happy to try it out. They loved the man’s cooking, although there was still some leftover when they had finished eating.
The Leftovers
Later that day, the man came across another coworker who had not been present earlier that day. He asked her if she would like to try some of the leftovers, and she was happy to give it a try.
A Misunderstood Ingredient
However, as his co-worker started eating, she became confused. “She said she thought it was weird that I was using a certain type of food in the recipe”, the man explained. “I told her that wasn’t that type of food, but it was actually pork.”
The Realization
The co-worker, upon realizing that the man had given her pork, stopped eating immediately, after already having consumed a significant portion of the meal. She then explained that eating pork was against her religious beliefs, assuring him that she was not joking.
He Had No Idea
The man was shocked to hear this. If his coworker had been Muslim or Jewish, he would have known better than to ask her if she wanted to try the pork-based dish. However, she was not a member of either of these religions, so he had no idea that she was restricted from eating the meat.
Immediate Apology
Realizing his oversight, the man felt a rush of remorse. He immediately apologized, expressing his genuine ignorance about his co-worker’s dietary restrictions, emphasizing that it was an unintentional mistake.
An Awkward Atmosphere
Whilst the coworker did not become angry at the man, she certainly was not happy. “Things got awkward and shortly after, she walked away from the table saying she’d “see us later,” but never ending up coming back”, he recounted.
Questioning His Actions
The man felt awful for what he had inadvertently done. He knew that pork was a meat that was often restricted from diets in a variety of religions. Whilst he knew that the woman was not Jewish or Muslim, he was aware there were other religions that condemned pork and felt that he should have known better not to inform her before she ate.
His Defense
Whilst the man felt awful for what had happened, he also believed that it was not his responsibility to know what the coworker could and couldn’t eat. He considered that if she had strict dietary restrictions, she probably should have enquired about the meal’s ingredients before starting to eat.
Confessing His Sins
The man ran straight to his computer upon arriving home, writing up what had happened and confessing his guilt to internet strangers. Thankfully, they came to his defense. “Generally if you have a dietary restriction, you ask what’s in your food”, one reader pointed out.
Not His Responsibility
Echoing the man’s defense was another comment, this time from someone who held their own dietary restrictions. “As someone with multiple dietary restrictions, it’s our job to verify if we can eat something, not anybody else’s”, they agreed.
Not Just About Religion
One reader pointed out that this wasn’t just a conundrum specific to religion. “I’m lactose intolerant and I always ask if there is dairy in food first if people offer me something”, they stated. “It’s my responsibility on what I ingest – simple as that.”
She Acted Reasonably
A lot of people criticized the coworker for not enquiring about the ingredients before eating, but one commenter came to her defense. “It’s not like she started screaming at the dude; it sounds like she just excused herself in a normal tone of voice and left the room”, they pointed out. “Calling her the jerk in this situation seems unfair.”
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