Thank you, Epic!

I've got an on-campus interview at a university on Thursday. My contact there just sent me my schedule, and it includes "lunch" and "dinner" without saying where we'll be going for those. I'm going to email back with a "thanks for the update, looking forward to meeting you" note. Do I mention that I'm vegan? I'm pretty sure most restaurants in that neighborhood would have something vegan on the menu, but if I know where we're going and can look at the menus online, it'll be one less thing for me to worry about. (And I'm going to have a bunch of granola bars and stuff in my bag, just in case, because I pretty much always travel with Larabars.)

I would, Hil. I mean, if I were planning something, it's information I'd like to have.

How should I phrase it?

OK, I know this is real life and pretty terrible, but I just saw local news that there was an explosion in a ball bearing factory. Does that not sound like the set up to a joke??

Hil, now I'm trying to phrase it, and it does feel weird. I think you really could just say, "By the way, I'm vegan, but should be able to work with any local restaurant"....?

I'd agree with mentioning it -- any sane search committee will want to get it right (and if they don't and won't, that's useful information too). I'd phrase it something like "Can you let me know more about what the lunch and dinner plans are? I'd like to check on what their vegan options are." That way, you're stating your needs clearly, signaling that you're able to handle yourself without making a Thing* of it, and if they DID make reservations at Joe-Bob's House Of Giant Steaks, they have a chance to fix it before you get there.

* Which is not to say that being veg*n is a thing -- but that academic interviews are one of those unfortunate places where how you handle situations is on display even while they're pretending it's social time.

... and I'm beginning to think the gig at Former Employer isn't going to happen. Over the weekend, the firm that I thought I had an agreement with (if nothing in writing, because they never even made an offer) posted an announcement for a person to fill the slot they had approached me about doing.

Which makes me confused. Either they decided they didn't want me for some reason, or they talked to someone at Former Employer who told them that FE didn't want me. I have no idea.

In better news, the firm I worked for last summer for a couple of months wants me basically full-time until the end of March. Which is nice except I'm going to be skiing in Colorado from Friday to Wednesday...

I'd agree with mentioning it -- any sane search committee will want to get it right (and if they don't and won't, that's useful information too). I'd phrase it something like "Can you let me know more about what the lunch and dinner plans are? I'd like to check on what their vegan options are." That way, you're stating your needs clearly, signaling that you're able to handle yourself without making a Thing* of it, and if they DID make reservations at Joe-Bob's House Of Giant Steaks, they have a chance to fix it before you get there.

Yes. Because once at a previous job we got a new coworker and we were like 'Yay, first day lunch...ooh, how about the new brazilian BBQ place?" Where they have the meat on sticks and the red/green do you want more signs. And new coworker was like "OK" and we went...and then she mentioned she was a vegetarian. We were like DUDE, we could've gone somewhere ELSE. So as long as you're not like 'OMG, we must go to Restaurant X", and sound like you're flexible, at least they'll know?