There is a history of fables and tales with a similar moral to the story. That particular one comes from an Arabic fable, though I couldn't find the whole thing on the web.

Here's a similar one:

Quote:

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There once was a baker, whose bread was so good, it was said that merely the smell of it could make a hungry man feel full...

This, of course, attracted many beggars to the baker's shop. The baker, tired of complaints from paying customers, sensed that perhaps he could profit from this phenomenon. So, he drags a beggar woman to court where he demands to be paid for the smell of his bread.

"Your honor," the woman says to the judge (King Solomon) "I am a poor woman and I only have two coppers to rub together in my purse. Believe me, if I had enough money to buy bread, I would."

The King/ Judge requests that she pour the contents of her purse on the table. Indeed, there are only two poor coins, which ring as they hit the table.

"That's all? Surely the smell of my bread is worth more than two coppers," says the Baker.

"Madam, put your coins back in your purse," says the king. "Baker, you were paid for the smell of your bread, by the sound of her coins."

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Interesting concept, using the ephemeral as a bargaining chip!

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