Nasreddin's Grapes

Have you heard of Nasreddin? In some parts of the world this man is so famous, in Turkey for example, that an annual festival is celebrated in his honor every year. And UNESCO declared 1996–1997 to be International Nasreddin Year. According to Wikipedia, the oldest manuscript of Nasreddin dates to 1571. Depending on whom you talk to, this Ottoman Turk was a wise philosopher or an unenlightened fool. Or maybe both. One anecdote attributed to him could apply to several different areas in life. The story goes that Nasreddin had a vineyard. One day he was returning from said vineyard, two large basketfuls of grapes loaded on his faithful donkey. Some children saw him, gathered around, and begged to be given a taste. Nasreddin picked up a bunch of grapes and handed each child one single grape. The children complained that he, who had so much, had given them so little. Nasreddin replied: "There is no difference whether you have a basketful or a small piece. They all taste the same.” Hmmm.