another fantastic bit of mountains beyond mountains, when the author is recounting a story from when paul farmer started dating his wife:

"at some point, paul said [to his friend ophelia], 'tell me about your family.'  many years later a friend of hers would offer this recipe for seduction: go out to dinner and say, 'tell me about your life.'  ophelia would think of paul and how, when he said those words, he made so many people feel he cared about only them in that moment."

a recipe for seduction: go out to dinner and say, "tell me about your life."

oh, how true.  how infrequently we are asked to talk about ourselves to someone who listens with all their being.  seduction, indeed.