We are sitting in our post-doc office in Malostranske namesti.  A pigeon alights on the window sill. I tell Zoran that I hope it doesn't come in because pigeons are dirty dirty birds.

He disagrees. He insists that they are clean.

I remind him that they eat garbage.

He claims they eat nuts and grains and berries and sometimes on the weekend they eat cheese omelettes.

But I know that they aren't vegetarian, they are dirty garbage eating birds.

As many times I say 'dirty', he says back 'clean'. 'Dirty.' 'Clean.' 'Dirty.' 'Clean.' It's a chess game. Here's how I win it.

"If you think pigeons are so clean, grab that one on the windowsill, and put it in your mouth."

The infallible Dirty Bird Gambit-- Zoran admits defeat-- the game is mine.