There is Nothing so Bad that it can't get Worse! Nail soup, anyone?
By barehugs
@barehugs (8973)
Canada
December 10, 2008 8:49pm CST
In these depressed times of Hunger and Hardship, here is a story from the the Great Depression in the Dirty Thirties.
A Tramp knocked on a door and asked for a meal. "I'm sorry the woman," said, " But I have nothing in the cupboard."" Thats ok," the tramp said "I have a nail with me. I'll make some nail soup!" the woman was a bit dubious, but she let him in. The tramp asked for a kettle and some water, and the housewife brought it to him, and he set it on the stove. Then he reached into his pocket, and brought out a nail. "This nail has been used a few times," he explained, "The soup may not be very strong." But he added, "if you just happened to have a little flour it would help a lot". The woman found a bit of flour and handed it to him. The tramp stirred the flour into the pot." Just a bit of rice goes good with the flour," he suggested. Sure enough the woman had some rice, "Pity," he says," that we don't have a few beans?" The woman thought for a moment and replied," I just might have some left over for last night." she went to the cupboard and brought some beans. He stirred for a while and then said. "My favorite nail soup has few scraps of meat. I love that meaty taste!" well she says," Lets see what I can find?" and she brought back a small dish of meat. The soup got thicker and thicker and smelled better and better, and finally the woman set 2 soup bowels on the table. Soon they were sitting and eating a delicious Nail Soup.
2 people like this
4 responses
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
11 Dec 08
This sounds something like an old European story called Stone Soup. This time, some soldiers went into this village, but the villagers did not have anything. (in those days, in the late middle ages, whenever an army went through the people of the town were supposed to feed them( So what happen was the soldiers said they would make stone soup. They put the stone int a pot, then asked the villagers if they had anything to put in it, so by the time they finished they had a really good pot of soup with vegetables, carrots, turnips, beans, etc. (no potatoes then) and I think there was an old hen there someplace.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
12 Dec 08
I can imagine Stone Soup too. It was probably a staple before iron nails were introduced. Potatoes and rice are a good base for soup. Meat, barley, and a few green vegetables round it out. My fave. soup on a cold day is chicken and rice. Of course soup needs seasoning as well. Throw in a bit of salt and chopped onion for good measure.
1 person likes this
@Sheepie (3112)
• United States
11 Dec 08
Oh, what a beautiful story! It just goes to show, we can always give more than we think, we can always push harder than we think. It reminds me of when we made something called Stone soup in kindergarten, but I don't really remember what the story was about or if it was the same. Though, I refused to eat it because it was weird and made out of a rock.
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
8 Jan 09
I've heard this story before as a child. But when I heard it it was called "Stone Soup", and the tramp had a stone, not a nail. I've always wondered that why the housewife, or in my story the townspeople, didn't realize what the tramp was doing once he started asking for all the other ingredients.
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
12 Dec 08
Such a cute little story, loved it, and it gave me a good chuckle!
1 person likes this
