Nancy McFarlane on fast food, binge-watching and other burning questions

Nancy McFarlane, who is seeking her fourth term as Raleigh mayor, has spent a lot of time and money over the past few months making sure you know where she stands on hot-button issues like affordable housing, social services and taxes.

But we also wanted answers to less-pressing questions. We sat down with her and challenger Charles Francis ahead of the Nov. 7 runoff election.

Here are McFarlane’s answers, condensed in some cases for brevity and clarity.

Q: What’s your favorite city besides Raleigh?

A: Paris. Well, I have two. Washington, D.C., that’s where I grew up, and Paris. They’re both physically very similar, low rise. I think they’re both beautiful, the way they’re laid out.

Q: Are you a dog person or a cat person?

A: I have a hundred-pound bundle of love rescue dog. I’ve pretty much always had dogs. We had cats when I was young, but then we found out I was really allergic to them, and that’s why I was sick all of the time. It’s just dogs now.

A: Oooh, hmm. I think Bojangles’.

Q: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: A surgeon. That’s what I wanted to be when I was young. Probably before the second grade, I had memorized all the muscles in the body, all the nerves in the body. I was obsessed with it.

Q: What’s your most embarrassing or quirky hobby or pastime?

A: Most embarrassing? Why would I tell you the most embarrassing? But I like to dance. I grew up in the ’70s, so clearly Motown. Every Saturday morning I watched “Soul Train.” I’ve taken ballet, I’ve taken tap, jazz, all kinds. I love learning dances from different parts of the world, too.

Q: What’s the last thing you binge-watched?

A: Probably the last thing I binge-watched was “The West Wing.” As much as it’s been around, I still love “The West Wing.” My favorite show right now? I keep wanting to get into “Game of Thrones” because I read the book, but it’s really hard to start watching it in the middle. I had it on months ago and accidentally watched the one show that was the Red Wedding, so that kind of blew it.

Q: What’s your favorite college basketball team?

A: You are so getting me in trouble right now. I can’t win on this one, so I’m going to go with my college basketball team, which is the (Virginia Commonwealth University) Rams.

Q: What’s one thing you want people to know about you but haven’t had a chance to tell them?

A: I’ve been talking about this the past two weeks – you always ask, what would be your superpower? People always say they’d fly or be invisible or something. I wish my superpower was that no matter where I am in the world, I could speak the language. I’ve traveled, not tons, but I’ve traveled enough that it’s so frustrating, I so want to be able to communicate well. I can speak a little French, not a lot.

Q: What’s the last book you read and actually enjoyed?

A: Probably “The Pout-Pout Fish” when I was reading to my granddaughter. No – although I did enjoy that – but about a year ago I read “Team of Rivals,” a story about Abraham Lincoln and how after the Civil War he put his cabinet together and it was Democrats and people from all parties, and he made them work together, and it was a lesson in how the country would heal.

Q: Last question: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

A: No, a hot dog is an entity all to itself.

This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Nancy McFarlane on fast food, binge-watching and other burning questions."