A couple of weekend-worthy topics to share with mom or your fishing buddies

So this weekend you're at that Mother's day brunch or in a pink Lund on Mille Lacs and you want to strike up a conversation. A real conversation! This is not small talk about the weather. Here is what I'm hearing - and talking about - while around town. Don't forget to share your talk topics in the comments; it is practically a public service!

MPR: Minnesota Life on Gather.com: What is it about fishing anyway?

I kinda think fishing needs a Ken Burns treatment. There's the reality and the myth and why shouldn't the two be merged into a poetically long series? MPR Morning Edition producer Larissa wants to know what the big deal is:

So, what is the appeal? What do people like about fishing? Are there any anglers out there that can explain the lure? What was your first fishing trip? What happened during your first fishing trip that made you love it ... or what made you never want to fish again?

Great responses include: "It is a way of having something to do while doing nothing." (hat tip Gather member WM H.) and Gary Fischbach,'s point, "Fishing needs to be encouraged with our young people. Pheasants Forever call it 'No child left inside'."

Share your first fishing story on Gather, and here's a couple things to think about:

• Everyone talks about fishing, but not about cleaning the catch.
• Are people these days afraid to spend time together without their darn cellphones?
• How much money is in the business of freshwater fishing?

MPR: How safe is our food supply?

You might not want to bring this up over a dinner, but really. What isn't in our food? From the show description:

The recent case of pet food contaminated with melamine is raising new concerns about the safety of imported food and the FDA's ability to monitor the ingredients in that food.

 Well, let me eat a soda cracker before we chat:

• Does this make the case for organic and locally grown less-than-crazily-processed food?
• Why do people get so weirded out by food? If you worked in a restaurant, you know what I mean.
• Is the pet food contamination akin to the canary in a coal mine? What will we discover next?

MPR: Bleacher Bums: Saints honor Keillor

Turns out The St. Paul Saints - our lil' hometown team, for those of you outside Minnesota borders -  have named their mascot after A Prairie Home Companion's own Garrison Keillor.

Their mascot? A sweet little piglet! To consider:

• Is an animal mascot akin to a power animal?
• Who says there's no fun in baseball anymore?
• Would you like a piglet named after you?

As always, let me know how your brunch chats, shootin' the breeze on the dock, or bleacher blather turns out.

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Julia Schrenkler
Interactive Producer, APM / MPR