It had been an ongoing joke for years that when I or one of my friends had a bad day we would head home to dig out a bottle of wine, leave the glass in the cupboard and just go for the straw.

Bad days became known as “bottle of wine and a straw” days. To my knowledge none of us has ever actually done this.

Some how we always manage to get the glass, we might keep the bottle next to the glass but we had never actually gone for the straw.

So when I was in Ireland last December at The Temple Bar and looked over at a table I couldn’t believe my eyes. A girl taking a sip, through a straw of her bottle of wine!?!?!

WTF FOR REAL!?!?

Was the bar out of glasses? Nope seemed like everybody else had a glass. We met eyes and the look she gave me made me shrink. She could kick my ass around the block no problem but I couldn’t stop staring. I didn’t know whether I wanted to condemn her (my Granny would definitely not approve) or applaud her.

Sip after sip I couldn’t get over it, couldn’t stop watching. I wanted to know if she did this all the time? Was it common in Ireland? (I don’ think so, it was and still is the only bottle of wine with a straw that I have seen). Did she have a really bad day? How did she order it? “I’ll have a bottle of wine and a straw please…..”

She was sitting at a table so she could have had a glass, it wasn’t the logistics of trying to hold a glass and bottle. I still wonder about her and if she is still drinking her wine with a straw, I really hope so.

I did manage to get a picture of the bottle but really thought she would kick my ass if I tried to get one of her. She didn’t look like she had a sense of humour but then again who does after a “bottle of wine and a straw” day. Maybe on a beer day she would be up for more fun.