Talk about leaving us hungry for more

Sun., Jan. 20, 2008

Paul Turner The Spokesman-Review

I‘m worried about one of my favorite words: “feed.”

It seems like there are way fewer fundraising spaghetti feeds, sausage feeds and pancake feeds than 20 years ago. A “dinner” or “breakfast” just isn’t the same.

So here’s my plea.

Don’t let “feed” fade away.

•Social planning tip: Do not hold your Super Bowl party next Sunday unless you are intending to make some sort of statement. The game isn’t until Feb. 3.

•Slice answers: “There is no doubt that Sandpoint High boasts the highest percentage of future leaders in the Inland Northwest,” wrote Mary Bird, math teacher and academic decathlon coach.

Another reader said it depended on what sort of leaders we’re talking about. “Gang leaders?”

•Thursday quiz: Deer Park’s Jeffrey Bendowsky was the first to correctly identify the episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” in which Spokane is mentioned.

It’s the one where Charlene Darling’s fiancé, Dud Wash, returns from the Army. Stepping off the bus in Mayberry, he proudly presents her with a tiger-eye ring purchased in “Spokane, Washington.”

•That friggin’ Mr. Darcy is to blame for the potholes: Pend Oreille County resident Tara Leininger said that, given Spokane’s fondness for complaining, the perfect locally-inspired title for a book that sounds like a Jane Austen novel would be “Whine and Weenieness.”

•Just wondering: Have you been watching “The Jewish Americans” on PBS? George Washington seemed to understand religious freedom better than many modern politicians.

Makes you proud to live in a state named after the guy.

Of course, some Slice readers live in Idaho. But the story of how the Gem State got its name isn’t quite so simple. So maybe we ought to just pretend that it is named after Samuel T. Idaho. Or maybe Benjamin Idaho. Calvin? Seth? Eustis? Many Clouds? No, wait – I’ve got it: Madison P. Idaho.

•Tie a yellow ribbon: Audrey Noel of Deer Park resented The Slice’s skepticism about whether Tony Orlando was actually brought back to Spokane “by popular demand.”

“We saw him the last time he was here and he put on a super show,” she wrote. “We were very anxious to see him again.”

So she bought a ticket for his show here last week and pronounced it excellent. “We have attended several concerts and shows since moving to the Spokane area and this performance was right up at the top.”

•Today’s Slice question: What Inland Northwest kid holds the record for having lost the most hats and gloves?

Local journalism is essential.

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