Some years ago there was an authentic Russian restaurant in Seattle called the "Moscow Café." One evening after a party a few friends and I dropped in for a snack.

For some reason, my throat was really dry, so I asked the proprietor, who was also our waiter, for a glass of water.   He came back a few moments later with a vodka bottle and a tall glass. He whispered to me, "This is water," indicating the Vodka bottle. "Let's play a little trick on the other patrons."

He made a great show of holding up the glass and slowly pouring it full from the bottle. Then he handed it to me.

I was really thirsty, so I downed the full glass with one, long guzzle, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and thanked the waiter, who refilled my glass from the bottle, winked, and wandered off.

For the rest of the evening, the other patrons sat there surreptitiously watching me, waiting for me to topple off my chair. But no—

Pretty funny.

Don Firth