I learned a new trick last week. My friend, Austin, taught me a little game he plays and I’m working to implement it.

It’s like this: if you have an idea, but you’re not sure if it’s actually a good idea, you should say it out loud before you take action.

I was skeptical, though, so we took it for a test drive after he explained the rule.

Here is a scenario we made up to practice: There is a couple, Max and Molly (it’s important to name them so you feel more attached and are more likely to pursue the course of action that benefits them the most. It’s also important that they have matching first letters of their names, because that’s fun…). So Max and Molly date for a few years, but really, the relationship is kind of messy. Max doesn’t treat Molly well, but she still has a lot of fun with him and they really are best friends. Sadly, though, Max tends to philander. So, one day, Max decides that he wants out of the relationship because he has been cheating on Molly with another girl, Stacey (you see how S doesn’t go with M? It’s an obviously poor decision by Max). So Stacey and Max start dating. Some time passes, and they’re still together. Molly has moved on, but still has a weak spot for old Max. One lovely Saturday night, Max asks Molly to hang out.

This is where Molly has to make an important decision. So she practices…

“I think I am going to hang out with my ex-boyfriend, who treated me terribly, cheated on me with Stacey, and is still dating her. We’d have to keep it a secret, because I know that it would make Stacey upset.”

Well, that’s one way to put it.

Or, Molly could say…

“I think I am going to hang out with Max, who used to be my best friend, I once loved dearly, and who can always make me laugh.”

Now you can see my skepticism with Austin’s little game.

I told him I was still not convinced, because it is simply a matter of phrasing.

Another, less specific, example:

“I think I am going to jump out of an airplane all by myself at 12,500 feet above ground level.”

Or…

“I think I am going to skydive.”

You see the difference? The first person sounded crazy and the second person sounded completely normal (maybe a little on the adventurous side for those of us who are afraid of heights).

What about this…

“I think I am going to eat an unusual fruit that makes everything taste good. It’s so strange that even vinegar tastes like apple juice. I could probably drink straight kerosene and enjoy it because it’s so magical. Even though I do not know the person serving it to me and found him on the Internet, I am going to eat an abundance of this fruit. It makes me feel like I am tripping on drugs. Furthermore, I am going to pay him to let me do it.”

Or…

“I am going to try this exciting new fruit that makes everything taste like candy!”

Maybe guests at Franz Aliquo’s party in Long Island City, Queens, said that very phrase last Friday night.

This miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, really does make everything taste good. It seems to be rather magical, and I might even try it myself.

But you see, if you played the scenario game, and were truly honest with yourself about the absurdity of the situation, you might not be so inclined to run over to Mr. Aliquo’s house and chow down.

Especially due to the fact that bartenders have been putting it in alcoholic drinks in order to make them taste good. The fruit masks the unwanted flavors. Essentially, people will drink an abundance of alcohol that they could not usually handle because of the potency of the liquor, and it will taste good. It sounds too close to getting roofied to me.

Maybe it’s just the college girl in me that knows better than to ingest a questionable substance (especially at a party…).

If this trend continues into the Midwest this fall, or even Georgia this summer, I might consider attending a “Flavor Tripping” party. Heck, maybe I’d even host one.

I’m going to be honest, though, I am not so sure I’d trust a college boy with that fruit.