One day a poor, hungry man took a dry piece of bread from his pocket, and held it over a hot cauldron of food in an open restaurant window. The dry bread became softer, and he began to eat it. But the restaurant keeper stopped him, demanding a fee for the cauldron’s steam. As the poor visitor had no money, they went to the judge.
Mullah was the town judge, so listened carefully to both men. Mullah took some gold coins from his purse, showed them to the restaurant keeper, and said, “Come here, please!” The restaurant keeper expected to receive the coins, but instead Mullah jingled them in the palm of his hands next to his ear. “Now the fee has been paid,” said Mullah.
“What do you mean?” the restaurant keeper insisted. “Justice!” Mullah replied, “the sound of money is a fair compensation for the smell of the food.”