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The Slice: A taste for romance in the kitchen?

Everyone recognizes the link between dining and romance.

But you might also know that a restaurant isn’t always part of the equation.

I wonder. How many Spokane area couples kiss in the kitchen?

Telltale traces of what food or beverage on the lips can turn a smooch into a fun taste test?

Some consenting adults might favor certain wines. And there might be something to be said for maple syrup lips or salsa mouth.

Is a peanut butter kiss surprisingly enjoyable? A fruit pie kiss? Chocolate lips?

You tell me.

Congratulations: To everyone who had anything to do with making the new downtown waterfalls plaza/park happen. You did good.

The Slice Lost and Found Department: Do you know this family pictured above? That photo was lost in a downtown Spokane dining establishment earlier this spring.

Touched by a Stranger Department: “I have never been touched by a stranger in the checkout line,” wrote Linda Flint-Childs.

But this happened to her at a family restaurant.

“I was having dinner with my niece, daughter and sisters. We had an enjoyable meal. The server stopped by to see if we needed anything more at our table. He was standing behind me and proceeded to massage my shoulders as he chatted with us briefly. I was stunned and taken aback by this unexpected and uninvited service. Did I look tense? Was he hoping for a larger tip?”

If it was the latter, he had to be disappointed.

Grandma by any other name 2: Lisa Lasswell’s mother-in-law always greeted Lisa’s baby son like this: “Hi, Darlin’!”

“When he began to talk, he would greet her the same way.”

Jimmy is 13 now, and still calls his grandmother “Darlin’.”

He calls his other grandmother “Mommo.”

“She is just glad she didn’t greet Jimmy with ‘Hi, Monkey!’ when he was small,” Lasswell said.

Re: Pre-summer haircuts: “I asked for a ‘scooter cut,’ ” wrote Shannon Harader. “I bought a cute little scooter last year and found I needed a shorter haircut so my hair is more manageable after I take off my helmet.”

Thanks for the dog-walk invitations: Stay tuned.

Today’s Slice question: If you had to guess … what percentage of those shopping at Spokane area yard sales are hoarders?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Bill Mahaney wonders how many people remember the featured speaker at their graduations.

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