The Slice Lattes And Sauerbraten - Little Known Spokane Combo

Annette Barfield has a friend in California who was coming for a visit.

But before heading up here, this friend asked a neighbor to watch her place while she was in Spokane. The neighbor agreed and then asked one key question about the Lilac City: “Is that in Germany?”

Slice answers: Potato salad, olives, watermelon, potato chips and fried chicken were among the food items readers said no picnic should be without. But we also received this from a reader who recently moved here from Phoenix: “I fell in love with Manito Park and immediately packed a picnic lunch - which must always include fruit, preferably grapes - and went on a picnic. While there, EVERYONE we saw picnicking had brought FAST FOOD…is this just a Spokane thing or has the real picnic gone out of style?” - Heartbroken Romantic

On another subject, we heard about dogs that, on their first fishing trips, helped out by diving in and retrieving the bobber immediately after the line was cast.

A reminder from Chris W. Brock: “The theory behind an express checkout is that customers with less than nine items may stand in a shorter line. Splitting your groceries into smaller piles only adds to the amount of time customers behind must wait.”

Another conversation killer: “Any reference to how we do it (anything) in California.” - J. H. Wilson, Priest River

Learning curve: According to a survey, households headed by people younger than 30 run out of toilet paper more often than households run by adults older than 50.

Let’s all refer to it this way: J. Carver calls Cox cable channel 5 “the criminal channel.”

As opposed to, say, knees: Nadine Onstot’s 9-year-old son, Keith, saw a “No Shoulder Driving” road sign in the Palouse and said “I think it would be hard to drive with your shoulder.”

Today’s Slice question: Which are the most overpaid/underpaid jobs?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing

MEMO: The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098.