It happened once upon a time that Mullah Nasruddin was invited to have dinner with the king. When the invitation came, Nasruddin’s friends were surprised. “Why is the king showing you such honour?” they asked. “No doubt because he has heard of my faithful service,” Nasruddin replied, and before they could ask, “What service is that?” Nasruddin hurried away to get ready for the evening.

At the dinner, many dishes were served, and Nasruddin was careful to taste everything. Then, the king asked him, “How is the lamb pilaf?”

“Excellent, Your Majesty,” said Nasruddin. “The very best quality.”

Hearing this, the king took some of the pilaf, tasted it, and then made a face. “The pilaf is terrible,” he said. “The meat is tough, the rice is not right and the spices are bad.”

“Just what I was thinking, Majesty,” the Mullah agreed. “Very bad.”

“Very bad?” said the king. “But you just said it was very good!”

“Majesty,” said Nasruddin solemnly, “I am the servant of the king, not the servant of the pilaf.”