To most, the obese seagulls hanging around Ivar's Seafood Bar on the waterfront are a nuisance. Their incessant begging for fried food is considered charming only by children and Japanese tourists. But their behavior can actually be used to your advantage?that is, if you're single. Feeding the seagulls is the most effective way to evaluate a potential love interest's personality aside from paying attention to how they treat the waiter. Order a basket of fish and chips and observe. Does your date taunt hopeful seagulls by waving food at them, then cackling and eating it him- or herself? (Evil!) Does he/she sacrifice the fleshiest section of the cod at the slightest of beady-eyed glances? (Pushover!) What? Your date doesn't even notice the seagulls? (Self-absorbed...and possibly very stupid.) It may not be scientific, but I've found that this method weeds out the worst of tools. Try it next time and see for yourself.?Erika Hobart