Lori Borgman: Secretive women and their sweet stash

Lori Borgman, Tribune News Service on Feb 3, 2026

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It’s a game of hide and seek a lot of women play. You hide the last bite of something delectable for yourself, not because you’re selfish, but because you are a visionary.

Based on personal history and past performance, you know with certainty that soon, maybe in the next week, day or next five seconds, you may feel depleted, exhausted and in need of a small pick-me-up.

You need a bit of encouragement. Or a bite of encouragement.

The key to keeping a small private reserve is knowing where to stash it.

For years I kept a couple of Hershey's Kisses in a buffet drawer with the cloth napkins. It was a great hiding place. Not once in the history of our family has anyone ever said, “You know what would make this meal complete? Cloth napkins!”

The napkin drawer was such a great hiding place that I often forgot about it myself. I rediscover my small stash each year at Easter and Christmas, the only times we use cloth napkins.

Another strategy is tossing a couple of miniature candy bars in the freezer for later. Later comes when someone goes to the freezer in search of butter, digs around and pops out yelling, “Look, old Halloween candy! The kind only Mom likes!”

If the treat is something no one else likes, you can leave it in plain view. Dried apricots are safe here, so are nuts and fresh dates.

It’s easy to quietly consume something sweet that you saved for later, but crunchy snacks do not lend themselves to stealth. Chips can be heard from outside the house at the far end of the driveway. Small children have been known to awaken from a deep sleep by the crunch of a single Cheeto. Fritos smell. For days. Weeks maybe.

Hiding things has a cascade effect. Whenever we go out of town, I hide my ancient Rolodex with old addresses, defunct landline phone numbers and home repair contacts. Like someone is going to break into a house and say, “First thing we look for is an old Rolodex!”

“Look! I found the ID number for her library card!”

If they only knew what was hidden in the napkin drawer.

I’m not sure why there is a stash of anything delectable anywhere. Whenever we have something special, the husband refuses to eat the last piece or the last bite. He saves it for me. I don’t even have to hunt for it.

Love is sweet.

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