Money talks

One day, the Khoja, in his usual humble dress, went to a Turkish bath. The bath attendants totally ignored him while they lavished attention on their more prominent-looking customers. When the Khoja left, however, he tipped the attendants handsomely, giving each one a valuable gold coin. The next day, the Khoja returned to the same bath. This time the attendants treated him like a sultan. They offered him the best towels and soap; they massaged and perfumed him; and begged him to request further service. Upon leaving, the Khoja stunned the expectant attendants by giving each a mere penny. “These pennies are for last time,” explained the Khoja. “The gold coins were for today.”

How long will it take?

Nasreddin Khoja was gathering wood by the side of the road when a man, traveling on foot, stopped to ask him how long it would take for him to reach the next town. Although the Khoja heard the question, he said nothing. The traveler repeated his question several times in a much louder voice, but the Khoja still failed to reply. Thinking that he must be addressing a deaf and dumb man, the traveler gave up and continued walking in the direction of the town. After he had gone about fifteen meters, the Khoja, who had been watching him, called out, “Hey, traveler! It’ll take you about half an hour.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” demanded the irritated traveler.

“Because I didn’t know how fast you were walking,” explained the Khoja.

Paul J. Magnarella is professor of anthropology and Middle East studies at
the University of Florida. Folklorist Sheila K. Webster is a consultant at the
University of Indiana.