It Depends on How You Look at It

For most areas of life, there really are very few revolutions in the conventional wisdom. For losing weight, say, it all comes down to: Burn more calories and/or intake fewer of them. Or, for almost all interpersonal relations, a good rule is: Don't be a prick. So what makes the next big self-help bestseller? You can bet your bippy it's the marketing.

This occurred to me last night as I settled up the bill for our meal. If someone had said to me, "Would you like to go to a fondue restaurant?" I would have (and did), reply, "Sounds dandy!"

But I might have reconsidered if someone asked me, "Would you like to sit a table for a very long time and be served a plate of raw meat that you then have to boil yourself?"

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There's a little change in the schedule. The always excellent Theo Pauline Nestor and I will be at Third Place Books in Seattle on June 13, not June 14.