Pay the restaurant (some wisdom as well)

[Abhinav S]

There was a poor old cobbler whose shop was next door to a very upscale restaurant. Every day at lunch time, he would go out the back of his shop and eat his bread while smelling the wonderful odors coming from the restaurant’s kitchen. One morning, this cobbler was surprised to receive an invoice in the mail from the adjoining restaurant for “enjoyment of food” Mystified, he marched right over to the restaurant to point out that he had not bought a thing from them. The manager said, “You’re enjoying our food, so you should pay us for it.” The cobbler refused to pay and the restaurant took him to court. At the hearing, the judge asked the restaurant to present their side of the case. The manager said, “Every day, this man comes and sits outside our kitchen and smells our food while eating his. It is clear that we are providing added value to his poor food and we deserve to be compensated for it.” The judge turned to the cobbler and said, “What do you have to say to that?” The old cobbler didn’t say a thing but smiled and stuck his hand in his pocket and rattled the few coins he had inside. The judge asked him, “What is the meaning of that?” The cobbler replied with a mile wide grin, – “I’m paying for the smell of his food with the sound of my money.”

Too much of heaven can bring you underground Heaven can always turn around Too much of heaven, our life is all hell bound Heaven, the kill that makes no sound

[Andre Kraak]

Thank you I needed to smile after a hard days work and a long week.

[Single Step Debugger]

I read this joke (a variation including a land lord and a serf) in a compilation of bedtime stories from my country created…15 century! Have a five for reminding me the story, but really, 15 century! And no, I’m not joking.

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[Ger Hayden]

I remember it from my childhood too. Could it be Brothers Grimm?

Ger

[Single Step Debugger]

I don’t know. The introduction stated that these are stories from the late medieval Bulgaria during the Ottomans occupation. What I remember though was that the first edition was 1878. Considering that that this has been close to the Brothers Grimm times it’s possible that they have been the original source. Or the story is far-more old and has a lot of variations. Anyway the posted joke is evidently older than the hills this time. :-D

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[Dan Neely]

Deyan Georgiev wrote:

Or the story is far-more old and has a lot of variations.

Almost certainly this. To be able to maximize the number of good novels I got to read while in school I took Indo-European Folk Tales for my literature requirement. We often read a at least a half dozenish variants of a story with origins spanning Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Northern India. IIRC the random differences were larger than any regional variations.

Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius

[Single Step Debugger]

And this was before television, Hollywood and Rupert Murdoch! :)

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[Tech Code Freak]

Good one! My 5!