It's the Great American Meatout on March 20th. If you're a vegetarian, this is your PR day. You are an ambassador for the veggiehead community. How you choose to perform that duty is up to you.  I have discovered a few age-old concepts in dealing with the flesh-eaters.

The key, of course, is to avoid prosyletizing. You don't want to be written off as a Carrot's Witness, and most folks don't appreciate a sermon about accepting the soybean as their personal savior.

The most constructive conversations I've had with carnivores about carnivory is when I'm just minding my own business, say in the office, and I'm at my desk and I pull out a box of chocolate soymilk. Someone asks you what you're drinking and before you know it, you're writing down your tofu cheesecake recipe for them.

Perhaps you could challenge a meat-eating friend, for example, you would take them to the movie of their choice if they can make it through the day with no meat. Give them an incentive instead of being preachy.

My plan is to bring in a few trays of colorful sandwiches made with faux cold cuts to my office, and offer it to my colleagues as a treat. If they partake, they've just sampled texturized vegetable protein! I'll bet they never thought they'd do that!

Another idea is to host a dinner party. Who doesn't love to be cooked for? One of the most generous gestures people do for one another is to prepare nourishment. Cook up your fave vegetarian dishes, or have a theme, such as Indian, Thai or African cuisine. Or veggify your guests' favorite dishes.

What if you don't have the time to cook but still want to celebrate? You could heat up some of the greatl products from Boca, Morningstar Farms, Worthington Foods or Yves. Your loved ones can enjoy buffalo wings, corn dog bites, barbequed ribs or chicken nuggets without ever once biting into flesh.

Of course, if you're of the crusading ilk and feel like standing in front of a grocery store handing out pamphlets, I'm with you in spirit. Some knock-out flyers with a few meatless recipes surrounded by your compelling reasons to go meatless might just be the ticket for a few shoppers not sure of what to prepare for dinner.

For more ideas and a Meatout 2008 Action Kit, log on to www.meatout.org

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