Eat, Coat, Eat!

Nasreddin Hodja was invited to a grand banquet at the home of the vizier, the sultan’s counsellor. It was to be a grand event attended by many distinguished guests from all over the city, and everyone had been preparing for it for a long time.

Even Nasreddin had been thinking about it: “What should I wear?” he wondered to himself at home. “It would not be appropriate to wear my best clothes – people might think that I am vain and a show-off,” he thought. “It will be better if I avoid drawing attention to myself. I will put on ordinary, everyday clothes.”

So he did. He dressed in a simple cloak and a simple turban, and off he went to the feast.

At the banqueting house, the music was already playing and the hall was full of guests. Everyone was admiring the great platters of roasted lamb, spicy sauces, and fragrant rice on the tables. It was truly a feast the likes of which no one had seen for a long time.

Nasreddin sat down at the table and greeted the people sitting nearby politely. But none of them returned his greeting; they all just looked at him with contempt.

“What a beautifully prepared feast,” Nasreddin said, trying to start a conversation with them. “I haven’t eaten such delicious food for a long time!” he continued, but none of the other guests seemed to take any notice of him at all.

Then the vizier himself passed by. Nasreddin wanted to greet him, but the vizier did not even look in his direction. How impolite!

Nasreddin immediately got up and hurried home. He took off his cloak and turban and instead chose the most beautiful, most magnificent clothes he owned – a…