PERPETUAL HARE SOUP
One day an acquaintance of the Hodja from a nearby village brought him a hare as a present. The Hodja was so pleased with the man that he entertained him lavishly and fed him with most of the hare he had been kind enough to provide.
Next day there was a knock on the Hodja's door. When he opened it, there stood a complete stranger.
"I am a relative of the man who brought the hare to you yesterday," explained the stranger.
"Well, come in, come in!" said the Hodja. "I am glad to meet a relative of that kind gentleman."
It was about time for dinner and there was nothing substantial to eat in the house, so the Hodja called out to his wife:
"We have a visitor, my dear. Will you make us some soup out of the gravy left over from the hare?"
They had the soup, which was quite tasty, thanked their God, and parted good friends.
Next day the door was knocked again and the visitor explained that he was also a relative of the man who had brought the hare.
The Hodja could stand it no longer. He fetched a bowl of boiling water from the kitchen and, placing it in front of the visitor, said:
"And this beverage is the gravy of the hare's gravy! I hope you'll enjoy it!"
