Critical cuisine

There is an old folk tale telling the story of hungry travellers who convince villagers to fill their empty cooking pot with food to still their hunger. At first, the locals are not interested in sharing their food with the strangers, and they decide to change their tactic. They go to a stream, fill their pot with water, and drop a heavy stone in it. The villagers become curious and are told the pot contains a bland 'stone soup', in need of flavours and garnish. Suddenly, they are happy to oblige and, one by one, they provide the travellers with enough ingredients to flavour the soup which is then shared by everyone. This folk story has been told in different cultures, but the essence remains the same. Sharing is caring. Working together, people can make a lot with very little.