A Lesson about Statistics

This is a story from Anthony de Mello's Taking Flight: A Book of Meditations (New York:Image, 1988.

I like it because it teaches me an important lesson about believing statistics others tell us.

Nasruddin was arrested and taken to court on the charge that he was stuffing horsemeat into the chicken cutlets he served at his restaurant.

Before passing sentence, the judge wanted to know what in what proportion he was mixing the horsemeat with chicken flesh. Nasruddin said, on oath, "It was fifty-fifty, Your Honor."

After the trial, a friend asked what exactly was "fifty-fifty" meant. Said Nasruddin, "One horse to one chicken." (p.177)

.