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Stone
Soup Festival
The Legend of
Stone Soup
Moser River
Necum Teuch Harbour
Bay
Of Islands
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July 29 - August 1, 2005
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What's
"Stone Soup?"
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Everybody
contributes just a little something of whatever
skills or talents they have to the project.
The result is often totally amazing!
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The
Story of Stone Soup
A fable which was written
down by Marcia Brown in 1947; the story exists in
many variations throughout the world. This one is
said to be an old French story (sometimes it is
said to be Russian), and is therefore not copyrighted.
Three soldiers trudged
down a road in a strange country. they were on their
way home from the wars. Besides being tired, they
were hungry. In fact, they had eaten nothing for two
days.
"How I would like a good dinner tonight,"
said the first. "And a bed to sleep in," added the
second. "But that is impossible," said the third.
On they marched, until suddenly,
ahead of them, they saw the lights of a village. "Maybe
we'll find a bite to eat and a bed to sleep in," they
thought.
Now the peasants of the place feared
strangers. When they heard that three soldiers were
coming down the road, they talked among themselves.
"Here come three soldiers," they said. "Soldiers are
always hungry. But we have so little for ourselves."
And they hurried to hide their food. They hid the
barley in hay lofts, carrots under quilts, and buckets
of milk down the wells. They hid all they had to eat.
Then they waited.
The soldiers stopped at the first
house. "Good evening to you," they said. "Could you
spare a bit of food for three hungry soldiers?" "We
have no food for ourselves," the residents lied. "It
has been a poor harvest."
The soldiers went to the next house.
"Could you spare a bit of food?" they asked. "And
do you have a corner where we could sleep for the
night?" "Oh, no," the man said. "We gave all we could
spare to the soldiers who came before you." "And our
beds are full," lied the woman.
At each house, the response was the
same -- no one had food or a place for the soldiers
to stay. The peasants had very good reasons, like
feeding the sick and children. The villagers stood
in the street and sighed. They looked as hungry as
they could.
The soldiers talked together. The
first soldier called out, "Good people! We are three
hungry soldiers in a strange land. We have asked you
for food and you have no food. Well, we will have
to make stone soup." The peasants stared.
The soldiers asked for a big iron
pot, water to fill it, and a fire to heat it. "And
now, if you please, three round smooth stones." The
soldiers dropped the stones into the pot.
"Any soup needs salt and pepper,"
the first soldier said, so children ran to fetch salt
and pepper.
"Stones make good soup, but carrots
would make it so much better," the second soldier
added. One woman said, "Why, I think I have a carrot
or two!" She ran to get the carrots.
"A good stone soup should have some
cabbage, but no use asking for what we don't have!"
said the third soldier. Another woman said, "I think
I can probably find some cabbage," and off she scurried.
"If only we had a bit of beef and
some potatoes, this soup would be fit for a rich man's
table." The peasants thought it over, then ran to
fetch what they had hidden in their cellars. A rich
man's soup, and all from a few stones! It seemed like
magic!
The soldiers said, "If only we had
a bit of barley and some milk, this soup would be
fit for a king!" And so the peasants managed to retrieve
some barley and milk.
"The soup is ready," said the cooks,
"and all will taste it, but first we need to set the
tables." Tables and torches were set up in the square,
and all sat down to eat. Some of the peasants said,
"Such a great soup would be better with bread and
cider," so they brought forth the last two items and
the banquet was enjoyed by all. Never had there been
such a feast. Never had the peasants tasted such delicious
soup, and all made from stones! They ate and drank
and danced well into the night.
In the morning, the villagers gathered
to say goodbye. "Many thanks to you," the people said,
"for we shall never go hungry now that you have taught
us how to make soup from stones!"
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Tarbot Festival 1977,
Cape Breton
Who is on stage in this picture?
Tarbot Festival 1977, Cape Breton,
on stage: Bob Schulman
Tarbot Festival 1977, Cape Breton,
on stage: Bob Schulman
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Marine
Drive 
