Notable Characters
- The steward
- The young man
- Lady Zubaida’s maid
Plot Summary
The steward met a man who refused to eat ragout, and he asked why. The young man explained that his thumbs and big toes had been cut off. When the other guests demanded to know the story, he told them about falling in love with Lady Zubaida’s maid.
The process for the to be together was a bit involved. They had to get permission from Lady Zubaida, among other things. The young man had to be snuck into the caliph’s palace without the caliph knowing, so he was stuffed into a chest.
When he and the maid could finally be together, he ate ragout spiced with cumin and then didn’t wash his hands afterward. When he met up with the maid for a romantic night, she freaked out because he hadn’t washed his hands after eating, and she could still smell the spice on his hand. She settled for removing both of his thumbs instead of taking off his whole hand like she originally wanted.
They lived happily together until the maid died. No explanation is ever given for why his big toes had also been cut off. Could be a plot hole or an intentional mystery.
The World of the Arabian Nights 