Friday, December 30, 2011

NASREDDIN HODJA AND THE POT THAT GAVE BIRTH

Antique Armenian Lined Copper Gazan (ղազան)
In this season of festivities, Marash Girl always needs
large gazans (ղազան), pots large enough to make boulghour pilaf, lentil pilaf, chick pea salad, and tortellini salad for 100.  Ruminating on this fact brought to mind a favorite story of Marash Girl's Marashtsi relatives, a story oft-told in Turkish by her father Peter.  Here goes in English.

One day, Nasreddin Hodja borrowed a large pot from his neighbor.  After a week, he returned the pot to his neighbor with a tiny pot inside.  

The neighbor, surprised, held up the small pot and asked, "What's this? 
 
"Oh," replied Hodja, "the pot had a baby." 

The neighbor, delighted that Hodja was crazy enough to believe that a pot could have a  baby, carried the large pot and the baby pot home with him.  

A week later, Hodja borrowed the large pot again. The neighbor was happy to lend Hodja the pot. . . But this time, Hodja did not return the pot.  

The neighbor went to Hodja's house looking for his large pot: "Where's my pot?" he asked, annoyed.

"The pot died," intoned Hodja.

"Died?" shouted the neighbor. . . "How can a pot die?"  

"If a pot can have a baby, a pot can die!" chuckled Hodja.

1 comment:

  1. and if isaac can become mcisaac, duck can become haddock.

    ReplyDelete