Stone Soup

jmcquown wrote:

It's probably true about using hot stones to heat things up in what were
(likely) clay-based cooking pots But the tale of Stone Soup is about
being generous and sharing what you have with strangers.

I thought it was about being clever and getting stingy people to share
what they have.

Another way to look at it is, if people are asked to give up a lot,
nobody will do it. But if each person is asked to spare just a little
bit, most will do that, and the asker ends up with the same amount.

Joyce

--
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he
grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.

Mark Edwards wrote:

No cluons were harmed when "jmcquown" wrote:
the tale of Stone Soup is about
being generous and sharing what you have with strangers.

I thought it was about tricking people into being generous.

GMTA.

Joyce

--
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he
grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.

Lesley wrote:

This made me very nostalgic- many years about (I think it was 79-80)
Dave and me went to the Windsor Free Festival, which the police moved
to Caesar's Camp at Bracknell, couldn't get the generators through so
no music but a pleasant couple of days camped out in the countryside.

On the last night all we had left with some chapati flour and some
onions- so we got some water mixed it with the flour for chapati's and
added the onions to the water to make some onion soup.

About ten minutes later some people in the next tent came along and
said they had some carrots so could we add them to the soup and
share. Then someone turned up with some peas. Then someone with
potatoes. Then someone with a tin of ham .In the end there everyone
at the site adding what they could to the cooking pot, someone else
had baking potatoes that we cooked in the embers as several people
present didn't eat meat but had no problems with the potatoes
especially after some cheese was produced from somewhere. Someone else
had a couple of loaves of bread and so it went on all evening

None of us had much but by putting what we had together we ended up
with the most delicious feast for everyone, it went on for hours with
everyone talking, a couple of people playing guitars, some people
doing a yoga session, someone took a turn to read some poetry, a
couple of guys did an improvised light show on the sides of the hill
with torches, Okay a couple of people had nothing but some weed but
passed it round for a share of the soup which by this point was more
like a thick stew.

The soup/stew btw came out fabulous one of the best things I have ever
eaten

It was a wonderful night....even the few police on the site were
mellow because it was the Reading Festival weekend and this was the
year that a lot of anti police feeling was going on there so they were
guarding us while their colleagues were dodging spit and thrown
bottles. I remember a policeman sitting down by the fire to ask me if
I was going to get home okay in the morning seeing as how we didn't
seem to have a lot of money (We had a return ticket from Windsor and I
had carefully stashed just enough cash for the bus to Windsor- I've
always been a lot more sensible than I look!) and without thinking I
handed him the joint someone passed to me (I didn't inhale honest!)!
He said something like "Not on duty" and passed it round!

Great story! I think most people would be generous with each other like
that most of the time. But most of the time, people hardly even talk to
each other. I think it was the environment of the festival, where people
were grouped together, so they had a reason to interact. Also they also
didn't have any entertainment, so they had to make their own.

Joyce

--
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he
grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.

On 9/17/2011 4:25 PM, wrote:
jmcquown wrote:

It's probably true about using hot stones to heat things up in what were
(likely) clay-based cooking pots But the tale of Stone Soup is about
being generous and sharing what you have with strangers.

I thought it was about being clever and getting stingy people to share
what they have.

Another way to look at it is, if people are asked to give up a lot,
nobody will do it. But if each person is asked to spare just a little
bit, most will do that, and the asker ends up with the same amount.

Joyce


Yeah, it's like here when someone needs help with a vet bill. Nobody
can come up with the $300 to give, but 30 people might be able to give $10.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
On 9/17/2011 4:25 PM, wrote:
jmcquown wrote:

It's probably true about using hot stones to heat things up in what
were
(likely) clay-based cooking pots But the tale of Stone Soup is
about
being generous and sharing what you have with strangers.

I thought it was about being clever and getting stingy people to share
what they have.

Another way to look at it is, if people are asked to give up a lot,
nobody will do it. But if each person is asked to spare just a little
bit, most will do that, and the asker ends up with the same amount.

Joyce


Yeah, it's like here when someone needs help with a vet bill. Nobody can
come up with the $300 to give, but 30 people might be able to give $10.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped

I suppose the moral of the story is different depending on who reads it. I
saw it as giving, others saw it as clever (which it was) or taking or
tricking. I like to think there's good in most people (yeah, I'm crazy that
way) and if asked to give a little they'll give what they can.

I think of my grandparents when I think about this story. During the
Depression my mom's mother would feed hobos (yes, the guys who rode the
rails) at the kitchen door, sharing a little of the soup and bread she had
made for her family. She didn't begrudge them being hungry or out of work.
It was just the way things were. She also took in the occasional boarder.
Boarding included a room for the night, dinner and a hot bath. My father's
mother, OTOH, wouldn't give up a single carrot; she'd chase anyone who came
to her door away with a shotgun. Two totally different mindsets.

Jill

On 9/18/2011 9:28 AM, jmcquown wrote:

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
On 9/17/2011 4:25 PM, wrote:
jmcquown wrote:

It's probably true about using hot stones to heat things up in what
were
(likely) clay-based cooking pots But the tale of Stone Soup is
about
being generous and sharing what you have with strangers.

I thought it was about being clever and getting stingy people to share
what they have.

Another way to look at it is, if people are asked to give up a lot,
nobody will do it. But if each person is asked to spare just a little
bit, most will do that, and the asker ends up with the same amount.

Joyce


Yeah, it's like here when someone needs help with a vet bill. Nobody
can come up with the $300 to give, but 30 people might be able to give
$10.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped

I suppose the moral of the story is different depending on who reads it.
I saw it as giving, others saw it as clever (which it was) or taking or
tricking. I like to think there's good in most people (yeah, I'm crazy
that way) and if asked to give a little they'll give what they can.

I think of my grandparents when I think about this story. During the
Depression my mom's mother would feed hobos (yes, the guys who rode the
rails) at the kitchen door, sharing a little of the soup and bread she
had made for her family. She didn't begrudge them being hungry or out of
work. It was just the way things were. She also took in the occasional
boarder. Boarding included a room for the night, dinner and a hot bath.
My father's mother, OTOH, wouldn't give up a single carrot; she'd chase
anyone who came to her door away with a shotgun. Two totally different
mindsets.

Jill

I'd have to agree with your mom's mother. I couldn't bear to see
anyone, person or animal, go hungry if I had food to share - I'd just
add a little water to the soup.

That's why I don't begrudge the raccoons or possums their bit of food
when we feed the outside clowder (I'm just glad that skunks, if any,
come around when everyone else if finished eating).

Whenever we have left-overs that aren't enough to save for another meal
or snack, they go out the back door rather than in the garbage cans
(which is why I get so ticked at the racoons that rampage our garbage
cans just for the smell - there's seldom a single edible morsel in them.


--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

jmcquown wrote:

"CatNipped" wrote in message

On 9/17/2011 4:25 PM, wrote:

Another way to look at it is, if people are asked to give up a lot,
nobody will do it. But if each person is asked to spare just a little
bit, most will do that, and the asker ends up with the same amount.

Yeah, it's like here when someone needs help with a vet bill. Nobody can
come up with the $300 to give, but 30 people might be able to give $10.

Exactly!

I suppose the moral of the story is different depending on who reads it. I
saw it as giving, others saw it as clever (which it was) or taking or
tricking. I like to think there's good in most people (yeah, I'm crazy that
way) and if asked to give a little they'll give what they can.

I was half joking. Even if they did use a bit of trickery, the intention
was good.

I think of my grandparents when I think about this story. During the
Depression my mom's mother would feed hobos (yes, the guys who rode the
rails) at the kitchen door, sharing a little of the soup and bread she had
made for her family. She didn't begrudge them being hungry or out of work.
It was just the way things were. She also took in the occasional boarder.
Boarding included a room for the night, dinner and a hot bath.

Ooooo, did someone draw a picture of a cat near her house? (The symbol
known to hungry travelers of the time to mean "nice lady who will give
you food".)

Joyce

--
Loneliness is comforted by the closeness and touch of fur to fur,
skin to skin, or -- skin to fur. -- Paul Gallico

wrote in message
...
jmcquown wrote:

"CatNipped" wrote in message

On 9/17/2011 4:25 PM, wrote:

Another way to look at it is, if people are asked to give up a lot,
nobody will do it. But if each person is asked to spare just a little
bit, most will do that, and the asker ends up with the same amount.

Yeah, it's like here when someone needs help with a vet bill. Nobody
can
come up with the $300 to give, but 30 people might be able to give $10.

Exactly!

I suppose the moral of the story is different depending on who reads it.
I
saw it as giving, others saw it as clever (which it was) or taking or
tricking. I like to think there's good in most people (yeah, I'm crazy
that
way) and if asked to give a little they'll give what they can.

I was half joking. Even if they did use a bit of trickery, the intention
was good.

I think of my grandparents when I think about this story. During the
Depression my mom's mother would feed hobos (yes, the guys who rode the
rails) at the kitchen door, sharing a little of the soup and bread she
had
made for her family. She didn't begrudge them being hungry or out of
work.
It was just the way things were. She also took in the occasional
boarder.
Boarding included a room for the night, dinner and a hot bath.

Ooooo, did someone draw a picture of a cat near her house? (The symbol
known to hungry travelers of the time to mean "nice lady who will give
you food".)

Joyce

Probably And yes, the cat symbol represented nice lady with food.
Here's a link to common hobo symbols:

http://www.angelfire.com/folk/famoustramp/signs.html

My paternal grandmother's house would have been marked with the "man with
gun" symbol.

Jill