He doesn't waffle or flirt, but tells insightful anecdotes in a casual, "over the breakfast table" manner.

BBC: Gary Oldman's Smiley: 'A little sexier, a little crueller'

Where the first is expansive, with figures pointing out of the picture plane and with food arranged on the table in the manner of a still-life, the second is more restrained and internal, concentrating on the mystery surrounding Christ, rather than on the dramatic moment of recognition.

ECONOMIST: Caravaggio

He knows how to bow to foreign diplomats in the manner of their own countries, sits at table without fidgeting or feeding spaniels, can neatly carve and joint any fowl if requested to serve his elders.

NEWYORKER: Invitation to a Beheading

Now, the couple sitting across from my husband and I at another artfully worn wooden table are playing dominoes, in what can only be described as an ironic manner, given no locals have played dominoes since the invention of fruit machines (slot machines as they are called in the US, also known as one armed bandits).

FORBES: Top Boozers: North London's Five Best Pubs