It’s a slow, rainy day in a little Greek village. The tavern is empty, the streets are deserted, and the only sound is the rhythmic drip-drip-drip of water off clay rooftiles. Times are tough. Everyone’s broke, living on credit, and more in debt than a donkey in a poker game.
Then, out of nowhere, a rich German tourist strolls into town. He ducks into the only hotel, slaps a €100 bill on the counter, and says, “I want to see your rooms before I choose one. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” The hotel owner, stunned to see real money, grabs the bill and sprints out the back.
He runs down the street to the butcher and slaps the €100 on his counter. “Here, I can finally pay you for the meat I served the guests last month!”
The butcher grabs the cash and bolts to the goat farmer. “Take this! That’s for the last delivery of lamb legs and one suspicious sausage!”
The goat farmer grins, then races over to the feed store. “For the oats, the alfalfa, and whatever that mystery mix was!”
The feed store owner sprints to the local tavern. “This is for all the beer and feta cheese I’ve consumed instead of dinner!”
The tavern owner laughs, pockets the cash, and casually strolls back to the hotel. He sets the €100 bill on the counter. “Here. For the room I’ve been staying in but pretending to clean.”
Just then, the tourist walks back in, looks around and says, “None of the rooms are to my liking,” picks up his €100 bill, and walks out.
No money changed hands. But somehow, all the debts were cleared.
Moral of the story? Sometimes, all it takes to fix the economy… is a confused tourist and a very fast butcher.
