Eat, My Fur Coat, Eat
Nobody pays the Hodja any attention when he comes to a wedding in old clothes; in his fur coat, a feast is laid for him.
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Nasreddin Hodja was invited to a wedding. He went in his everyday clothes, in a slightly dusty robe. At the door nobody looked at him. Inside nobody showed him a seat, nobody said, "Welcome, Hodja." The Hodja was left standing in a corner and could not sit down at the table.
He quietly went home. He opened his chest and took out his holiday fur coat. The coat was magnificent, glossy and enormous. He put on the coat, wound his finest turban around his head and went back to the wedding.
This time everyone at the door rose to their feet: "Come in, Hodja Efendi, the seat of honor is yours!" They sat him in the best place at the table and put the most delicious dishes in front of him.
The Hodja took the sleeve of his coat and dipped it into the bowl of soup: "Eat, my fur coat, eat!" Then he dipped it into the rice: "Eat, my fur coat, eat!"
Everyone was astonished: "Hodja, what are you doing?"
The Hodja answered calmly: "A little while ago I came in my robe, and nobody gave me food. Now I have come in my fur coat, and the table is laid. So the invitation is not for me, it is for my coat. Then let my coat eat the food too."
A deep silence fell over the room. The host was ashamed and asked the Hodja's pardon. Everyone at that wedding learned a lesson: a person is treated according to who they are, not according to what they wear.
The Hodja drank his soup, wiped his coat and went home. From that day on the coat stayed in the chest, because the Hodja was the Hodja without the coat too.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
Eat, My Fur Coat, Eat is a children's tale from Nasreddin Hodja, suitable for ages 4-9 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Nasreddin Hodja category.
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