One day Nasreddin Hodja bought 2 kilograms of meat from the neighbourhood
butcher. He brought the meat home and asked his wife to cook a real nice stew
for dinner. Thus secured the evening meal, he happily headed off to his field to
work.
Hodja's wife did cook the stew but about lunch time a few of her friends and
relatives came over for a visit. Having nothing else to serve to her guests, she
served the stew. They all ate heartily and finished it all.
Hodja came home after a long day's work and asked his wife if the stew was
ready.
`Ahh, ahh! You have no idea what befell the stew.' his wife said, `The cat ate
it all.'
Nasreddin Hodja, suspicious, looked around and saw the scrawny little cat in one
corner, looking as hungry as himself. Hodja grabbed the cat and weighed him on
his pair of scales. The poor thing weighed exactly two kilos.
`Woman,' said the Hodja, `if this is the cat, where is the stew? If this is the
stew, then where is the cat?'