The Beggar and The Food Vendor

A beggar eating a crust of stale bread stood next to a shish-kebab vendor, inhaling deeply. The smell made even his stale bread taste good.

“You must pay for the smell!” shouted the vendor.

When the poor man couldn’t pay, the vendor took him to court.

Nasruddin was the judge.

He listened to them both, and then he took some coins from his pocket, cupped his hands, and shook the coins.

“Do you hear that sound?” he asked the vendor. “Yes,” said the vendor, perplexed.

“The sound of the coins is payment for the smell of the meat. Case dismissed!”


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Tiny Tales of Nasruddin (Amazon, Author) by Laura Gibbs. Copyright 2020. Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 and mirrored here with permission.