It is tame flirting, and she knows it, but she is who she is. She's the tame mommy friend in the group: dinner parties, wine, and tricking supergeniuses into letting gods out of boxes. Nothing to write home about.

"Then I won't ask what your favorites are and will surprise you," she promises with a smile. She might already be having ideas. (She's having ideas.) He's much safer not letting her know when his birthday is, because there would be cake, and that would be terrible.

"They're not common in American cuisine when we're from, outside of foodie circles, but they're getting more popular. I take it they've had a resurgence in the future?"