Stone Soup

Oh, there are so many versions. This is the most popular.

Some travellers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty
cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of
their food stores with the hungry travellers. So the travellers go to the
neck of the stream and fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it,
and place it over a fire . One of the villagers becomes curious and asks
what they are doing. The travellers 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 does not
mind parting with just a little bit of carrot to help them out, so it gets
added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and
the travellers again mention their stone soup which has not 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.

Jill