The Scent of Food and the Sound of Coins

The Scent of Food and the Sound of Coins

Collected by Abdulla Najib Al Kuwari

Edited by Patty Paine


Once upon a time, a poor, starving man was walking in the souq. All of the sudden, he caught the the wonderful scent of grilled meat. The poor man wanted the grilled meat so badly, but all he could afford was a small bit of bread. He bought the bread, and as he ate it, he smelled the scent of the grilling meat and imagined that he was eating the delicious meat.

The grill cook saw the poor man. He grabbed the man and demanded that the man give him money. The poor man refused to pay the cook because he did not eat anything from his grill. After arguing for a long time, they decided to go and see Jouha, a judge who was known for his wisdom and sense of justice.

Judge Jouha listened to the story from both the cook and the poor man. After listening to the stories, he asked the cook to approach him. The cook approached Jouha as he was asked. Jouha took two coins out his pocket and clinked them beside the cook's ear. Surprised and confused by the judge's strange behavior, the cooked asked, "Why did you clink two coins in my ear?"

"Because this is your payment," Jouha replied.

The cook was still confused, and did not understand what the judge meant.

Jouha explained: "Cook, you tried to sell the scent of food to the poor man, so you have been paid with the sound of coins."

The poor man thanked God for revealing the truth, and the cook returned to his shop disappointed to leave with nothing except the sound of coins.