There is an old folk tale about a stranger who walked into a small village carrying a large pot. The villagers didn’t approach the stranger; hardened by war and embittered by famine, they were naturally suspicious and kept mostly to themselves. The stranger set up his pot in the center of town, on top of a fire, and filled it with water from the well. Finally, he plucked a rather ordinary-looking stone from his pouch and plopped it into the pot. One villager approached, curious, and asked what he was doing. “Why, I’m making my famous Stone Soup! It’s the most delicious soup in the world, made from a magical soup stone. Everyone’s welcome to share it with me, of course. And if you’re able to add something to the soup, that’ll make it taste even better!” The villager, excited at the prospect of trying a world-famous soup, went home to fetch some potatoes to add to the soup. More villagers stopped by, attracted by the smell of the potatoes, and listened to the stranger’s story. They brought their own ingredients to add to the soup: tomatoes, leeks, onions, beans, ham, salt, pepper, garlic, carrots, and so on. Finally the fantastic aroma of the soup had attracted the entire village, and together they sat down to eat stone soup, everyone agreeing that it was marvelous. When the stranger departed in the morning, he left behind the magical soup stone, and the village feasted together on stone soup evermore.
Our blog will touch on a medley of topics that interest us: from law, economics, and natural science; to television, sports, and food. This blog will also have several authors and guest bloggers contributing their thoughts and observations. Hence, stone soup.
stone soup 