That Facebook Thing . . .

Unlike the chain letters of yesteryear, no money changes hands and no one is threatened with apocalyptic bad luck for refusing to comply. Yet the practice has spread so far and so fast that a Google search for “25 Random Things About Me” yields 35,700 pages of results, almost all of which seem to have been created in the last two weeks.

"It’s really interesting to sit there and try to think of 25 things that you’re willing to tell other people but that they don’t already know about you,” said Ms. Morgan, a health care industry publicist who has kissed 6 1/2 boys (No. 16), is legally blind (No. 19) and didn’t go to school until the fourth grade (No. 7).

On Facebook, the apparent epicenter of the craze, nearly five million notes on people’s profiles have been created in the last week, and many of them are lists of “25 Random Things.” The note-creation figure is double the previous week and larger than any other single week in Facebook history, and Facebook executives say that the “Random Things” craze is driving it.

For all of those who tagged us, here is the Cafe Drake version. And for what it's worth, we did learn a few interesting facts about friends made even more endearing now by their (former) reticence.

1. We always try to take a long bubble bath before dinner guests arrive.



2. Dishes we're not sure how to pronounce often appear on Cafe Drake menus.



3. Sailor Page always intuits the arrival of guests and adopts his ultra-friendly, meet-and-greet persona.



4. Cafe Drake cooked our first meal ever at 18 years old.



5. Never - ever - has chicken stock been fed to vegetarian diners.



6. We always wish we had more time with guests and less time in the kitchen.



7. Those with open minds and palates always earn our best meals.



8. Bright lighting is incompatible with good digestion and pleasant conversation.



9. We've never followed a recipe 100%.



10. Several of our friends are far better cooks.



11. The table is set the night before (almost always).



12. The best part of any dinner is spending time with our guests.



13. We know if someone is doing drugs in the bathroom. But don't mind terribly as long as it's after the main course.



14. Every dinner party is a memory stored away for old-age nostalgic comfort.



15. We offer the best liquor we can afford.



16. Cafe Drake wishes we were more child-friendly. And strive to be.



17. We don't go to sleep thinking of food. Actually reading and writing and movies and music and art and design are amongst interests slightly greater than culinaria.



18. If it wasn't for TiVo, we wouldn't ever have dinners on Monday (Gossip Girl) or Tuesday night (Last Restaurant Standing and nip/tuck).



19. We worked as a lunch chef at Parker's restaurant in London for 5 months before realizing professional cooking wasn't for us.



20. A detailed synopsis of last night's dream is the single most boring thing one can talk about at the table.



21. Cafe Drake adores all card-carrying members of the Clean Plate Club.



22. Sometimes we feel slightly pretentious using the "royal" WE and calling ourselves Cafe Drake.


23. We believe serving others is the highest honor.


24. The thought of celery induces instant nausea.


25. Cafe Drake has never posted a photo to our website we felt was truly unflattering of any guest.