The thieves took 6 million pounds of smooth Canadian sweetness, worth $18 million, and raised an important question:

The question is what was more unusual: that the commodity in question was maple syrup, or that it came from something called the global strategic maple syrup reserve, run by what amounts to a Canadian cartel.

Arrests have been made, and the global syrup supply appears safe for now.

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...