June 30, 2009

give a man a fish....teach a man to fish..

So.... A man saw a beggar and decided to give him one of the fish out of his creel as he had enough to feed his own family for that day. The beggar was happy and thanked him again and again. The next day, the man saw the same beggar in the same place waiting for him and for another fish. So the man took the beggar down to the river and showed him the fine arts of fishing. After catching enough fish for the man and his family and for the beggar, the man took the beggar home and showed him how to cook the fish. The beggar looked as if he had tasted heaven's food itself. The beggar thanked the man and his family profusely and left. The man didn't see him for a long time. One day, the man and his wife went to a Five Star restaurant and had a wonderful meal. The man wanted to compliment the chef and was told the chef was already on his way out to meet him. The chef sat down and asked how was the fishing these days. The man was confused. He then looked closer and saw it was the beggar. The beggar went into how that meal at the man's home inspired him to show other's the wonderous display of taste buds to something made well and eaten. The beggar/chef went into how he went to school on government grants, graduated culinary school, started working for a uncle's friend at a local diner until he had enough altered recipes to break out on his own. He then fell into better luck as to his grandmother died and in her elation of her grandson "getting back on his feet" left him all her money. He took that money and bought this restaurant and now pays others to work for him and he sits back and watches the dough rake in. The man and his wife were happy for him and wished him well. When the bill came it showed the full amount. The man and his wife were taken aback but paid it anyway and left. The next month the man read in the newspaper that restaurant was closed and the chef was sentenced for filing false income tax returns. The chef was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison. The chef also admitted that he underpaid employment taxes by $250,000. The man folded the newspaper and asked his son to finish all his chores so that he would earn his full allowance.