K’s mother flew in from Poland, arriving Thursday evening. US Air lost her luggage in the flight from the Windy City to Charlotte, but otherwise, it was a relatively survivable experience for Mamus.

When someone’s coming from rural Poland, there’s a certain amount of joy in thinking about all the things you can introduce — namely, food. My mother-in-law has never had fresh pineapple or cantaloupe, so we bought one of each before her arrival. She’s yet to try them, but biscuits — big, fluffy Southern-style biscuits — were a big hit, as was Ben and Jerry’s pistachio ice cream.

We have our own list, but perhaps there are other things she should try while here?