Hidden Agenda | The Last Cigarette

From Hidden Agenda, March 11th

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In Latvia, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, when they open a fresh packet of cigarettes, they take out one, turn it over and then reinsert it into the packet upside-down. This cigarette is smoked last. It is supposed to bring luck…

You don’t smoke? No problem. Show an old packet of cigarettes and say you’ve brought this back from the Republic of Latvia on your latest trip to Europe, or that a friend who lives there sent it to you, or your uncle (not from Fiji) gave it to you, or…

Still not convinced? Take out a packet of chewing gum and explain that you always perform the Latvian ritual on it. Explain.

You are a militant non-smoker and hate chewing gum? OK, use your head, as Dr. Elliott used to tell Dai Vernon!

All entries from this series come from Roberto Giobbi's Hidden Agenda book.