Stone Soup

This is a fairly easy ‘soup’ to make and granted one you can share with your close friends!

…or better yet, make new ones!

The idea behind this recipe is a moral one. People’s actions no matter how small can accumulate and create something for the greater good. Community is central to this recipe.

The legend according to Wikipedia:

‘According to the story, some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food stores with the hungry travelers. The travelers fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire in the village square. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers answer that they are making ‘stone soup’, which tastes wonderful, although it still needs a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor, which they are missing. The villager doesn’t mind parting with just a little bit to help them out, so it gets added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mention their stone soup which hasn’t reached its full potential yet. The villager hands them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. More and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by all. The stone may or may not be reused in the next soup, and fortunately is not eaten.’

So you ask: how does one make a ‘stone soup’?

Well, here are the basic implements:

1 Large stock pot Some boiling water Rock

For aesthetic purposes a nice round and smooth river rock would done wonderfully.

Next: getting ingredients.

Call up some friends, family, or knock on some doors. Ask them (kindly) if they would be willing to share some ingredients with you. You may plan this out ahead and tell individuals to bring something for a soup that you may already have in mind, or you just might as well wing it and play the traveler continually saying, ‘It needs some/little/more [insert ingredient name here]’

Note: There is no shame in buying some ingredients before hand. This can be a spur of the moment thing or an event that’s been planned out.

Now people may or may not be keen with the idea of a communal dinner, but that’s quite alright if they aren’t. You can invite them over for the fellowship if they’re down with it.

This idea does not need to be a soup. You can re-apply the theory over and over to other communal foods, like pizza, a paella, tacos/nachos/burritos/tamales, ‘samiches’ (sandwiches, I’m weird like that.), ice cream sundaes, whatever. Something that many people can contribute to.

As you have notice this recipe isn’t exactly a food recipe, but more of an idea. An idea that promotes fellowship with others and a sense of community (gag). Not to mention economically sound to a college student.

NOTE Please don’t eat the rock!