The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

So, am I right on this? The government wants to send me six-hundred bucks? Well, that's the sort of policy I can get behind, friends ... But at first, when I heard the news, I thought: Now, g'on ahead and feed that to your wee, pup of an investment portfolio. But that sort of defeats the purpose of an economic stimulus, right? So then, I realized, it is my duty to blow this dough--and guilt free, too!

When we entertain at home, we take for granted that we all partake in the same dishes, prepared in portions large enough to share. So isn’t it a bit odd, in this age of dining out as entertainment, for friends to gather at a restaurant and each order a different meal? It’s a very American way of eating, and it embodies those all-American values of freedom and rugged individualism—we each get what we want, without compromise.