“Then they had toasted, Armen recalls, though to what he can no longer remember. But Nezimi and Karine had each presented an origin behind the tradition of clinking goblets together. Nezimi had insisted it was so whatever the sultans and kings were drinking would slosh into each other's cups, preventing one party from trying to poison the other. Karine had suggested the practice had a far less Machiavellian foundation. A glass of wine already appealed to four senses: taste, sight, touch, and smell. The tinkling of the glasses appealed to the fifth - and final - sense: sound.” Toasts Author:Chris Bojalian