In the days before calculators, accountants were frequently unable to get their debits to balance with their credits. So, in order to overcome the discrepancy, they often created a bogus account titled "Taste" to store the unbalanced amount and allow the books to balance.
Unfortunately, the government soon heard of this practice and declared a new law... there would, from this point on, be no accounting for Taste.
To show his appreciation to the community, the military base commanding officer held an open house. This included a free meal in the mess hall.
A young private was busing tables when he noticed a family leaving a large tip. "Excuse me. We can't accept tips," he told them.
"It's not for you," said the woman. "That's to help send your cook to culinary school."
I figured that at age seven it was inevitable for my son to begin having doubts about Santa Claus. Sure enough, one day he said, "Mom, I know something about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy."
Taking a deep breath, I asked him, "What is that?"
He replied, "They're all nocturnal."
Didya hear the one about the new show planned for TV's Food Network sponsored by the Arthur Andersen accounting firm?
It's called "Cook the Books"!