A poor traveler arrived in a small village. He had no food or money and had not eaten anything in days. The one thing he did have was a cooking pot.
He built a small cooking fire, placed his pot on it, and poured in some water. When a few villagers asked what he was doing, he replied that he was making stone soup, which was an ancient tasty recipe(食 谱). He then dropped in a smooth, round stone into the pot.
As the soup warmed, the traveler told the villagers stories of his travels and the exciting things he'd seen. He tasted his soup and said it was coming along nicely,
but a bit of salt would bring out the flavor(风味). One curious villager went into her home and returned with some salt for the soup.
A few more villagers walking by stopped to see what was going on when they heard the traveler speaking. The traveler told more stories and said that a couple of carrots or onions would be a nice addition to the already delicious soup. So, another villager said he could give a few carrots. Finally, the soup was ready and everyone the tasty meal prepared for them from just a pot.
