What it seems and what it is
When you place the cheese in the mousetrap, you are advised to leave some space for the mouse too. This reminds me of a story:
The Hodja strolled away at the butchers’ and bought three oka of his favourite mutton. Back home he asked his wife, the faithful Kadidja to prepare from it the meal he liked most – meatballs.
The dish was cooked as ordered that afternoon.
What a pity that the Mullah was still away when the tasty spicy browned meatballs sizzled ready in the pan! And what a pity that a neighbour happened to drop by! What a pity that the two women had such a pleasant chat while munching up all the meat!
That evening, a Mullah full of expectation sat down waiting for his favourite meal. The only thing he got was a meagre plate of fried beans with garlic sauce.
“Where is my mutton, Kadidja?”
“I am sorry to say that your wicked cat snatched it away and ate it all up.”
“I can’t believe it! Such a big piece of meat?”
“Well, just look at his cheeky snout and you’ll see he’s guilty!”
The Hodja grabbed the cat, saw that he looked guilty indeed, put it on a scale and said:
“Woman, I’m lost. The scales show exactly three oka. So, here is my meat.
"But then my sweet," he continued, "if this is my meat, where is my cat?"
The Hodja strolled away at the butchers’ and bought three oka of his favourite mutton. Back home he asked his wife, the faithful Kadidja to prepare from it the meal he liked most – meatballs.
The dish was cooked as ordered that afternoon.
What a pity that the Mullah was still away when the tasty spicy browned meatballs sizzled ready in the pan! And what a pity that a neighbour happened to drop by! What a pity that the two women had such a pleasant chat while munching up all the meat!
That evening, a Mullah full of expectation sat down waiting for his favourite meal. The only thing he got was a meagre plate of fried beans with garlic sauce.
“Where is my mutton, Kadidja?”
“I am sorry to say that your wicked cat snatched it away and ate it all up.”
“I can’t believe it! Such a big piece of meat?”
“Well, just look at his cheeky snout and you’ll see he’s guilty!”
The Hodja grabbed the cat, saw that he looked guilty indeed, put it on a scale and said:
“Woman, I’m lost. The scales show exactly three oka. So, here is my meat.
"But then my sweet," he continued, "if this is my meat, where is my cat?"
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