My lunch with Norma

Pomona Mayor Norma Torres has been telling me since May that she was going to invite me out for a raspado, which is a Mexican snocone with fruit. As the months went by, and hot weather came and went, this appeared to be yet another politician's empty promise.

Until last week, when she invited me to lunch, with a raspado for dessert. Of course I accepted, having never been invited to lunch by a mayor before.

(Imagine if Ontario Mayor Paul Leon, who's on a major diet, invited me out for lunch. We'd probably eat trail mix.)

At Torres' suggestion we met at Sakura Ichi, the high-end sushi bar at Mission and Garey downtown. I've been there before, and it's pretty good. The ambience is even better -- this is a sharp lookin' place, very sleek.

Torres talked about her tour that morning of the Indian Hill Swap Meet, a collection of vendors that is probably worth a column someday, if the language barrier can be overcome. We touched on many other Pomona topics as well.

I had the sushi lunch combo and she ordered the chicken teriyaki. My chopstick skills aren't so good, but I can manage. The mayor ate with a fork.

She tried to pay but we split the tab at my insistence. Can't be in the mayor's debt, after all. Next, a raspado! Except first there was a detour to check out a Pomona business I'd never before investigated. More on that Monday.