English Original
Simon was an inveterate fisherman, well known for exaggerating the size of the one that got away. But one day, he actually caught two enormous flounders. He immediately invited a few friends over to dine and then tried to figure out how best to serve the fish.
"If I serve both," he told his wife, "it will seem ostentatious."
"Why not serve a piece of each?" she suggested.
"No," said Simon. "If I cut them up, nobody will believe I caught two giant flounders."
Simon racked his brain. Then he had an idea.
The guests were seated at the table when their host strode in with a platter, holding the biggest flounder they'd ever seen. Suddenly, Simon stumbled and fell. Everyone cried out in dismay as the fish crashed to the floor, but Simon quickly brushed himself off.
"Dear," he called out to his wife, "bring in the other flounder!"
中文翻译
西蒙是个老练的渔夫，以爱吹嘘跑掉的那条鱼的尺寸而闻名。但有一天，他真的钓到了两条巨大的比目鱼。他立刻邀请了几位朋友来吃饭，然后开始琢磨如何上菜最好。
“如果我把两条都端上去，”他对妻子说，“会显得太招摇了。”
“何不每条鱼各上一块呢？”妻子建议道。
“不行，”西蒙说，“如果把鱼切碎了，就没人会相信我钓到了两条巨大的比目鱼了。”
西蒙绞尽脑汁，终于想出了一个主意。
客人们已在餐桌旁就座，这时主人端着一个大盘子大步走了进来，盘子里是他们见过的最大的比目鱼。突然，西蒙绊了一下摔倒了。鱼摔在地上，所有人都惊慌地叫了起来，但西蒙迅速起身，掸了掸身上的灰尘。
“亲爱的，”他对妻子喊道，“把另一条鱼端上来！”