USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving. Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free. I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these." "They just come with the table, man." They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat. I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared. "Did we…?" "Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless." Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined. My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude." Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man. I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy. Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived. I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most. Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.

If Chicago had warm weather year-round it would be the greatest city in America. No debate.

BREAKING: USMNT defender Chris Richards has ‘two torn ligaments in his ankle’ per Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner — who says it's "50/50" if he can play in the UEFA Conference League final. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in three weeks. Oh no. 😰

NEWS: Missouri and Marquette are finalizing an agreement to meet in a neutral site game on November 15th at the United Center, according to multiple sources. bit.ly/4u32OxP

Curacao and Haiti are going to the World Cup. But there’s no room for teams like Italy or Denmark? Game’s gone.

Well, it was fun for 40 minutes...