Last night I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Dublin, Pearl Brasserie. (Tonight I was forced to stay home. All restaurants were closed and the few hotel bars that served food refused to serve nonresidents, so I dined on mandarin oranges.)

Last night after dinner the manager of Pearl Brasserie came over to the bar where I was sitting and he asked me: “Do you want a Christmas trick?”

At least that’s what I heard. The manager speaks English with a beautiful French accent.
How nice, I thought, the manager happens to be a magician as well and he has a special Christmas trick for the regulars.

“Yes, please show it to me,” I answered.

The manager looked flabbergasted. He repeated the same question: “Do you want a Christmas trick?”

And again I assured him that I would love to see his trick.

“No,” he said. “Cognac, grappa, calvados, do you want a treat, a Christmas treat?”

“A cognac,” I answered. "Please."

I felt deeply ashamed.