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Making soup on a nail
old saga published by Hakan Falk,
Once upon a time there was an old woman who was rather wealthy but terribly stingy and disobliging. There came late to her place one unpleasant evening in the autumn a wanderer and asked for board and lodging for the night.
-Oh no, the woman said, this is not an inn.
-Yes, but dear sweet mother, the wanderer asked, there's such terrible weather outdoors. Could I please stay here anyway and lie on the floor in the cottage?
-Yes, you can, since you are so obstinate, the woman said.
-Maybe dear sweet mother could also give me some food?
-No, it“s indeed absolutely impossible, she said. How could I share with others, when I don“t have anything to eat myself?
-Yes it doesn“t matter the wanderer said, if only I can borrow a pot. I have a nail myself and you can cook a good soup on it.
-What? Making soup on a nail.
The woman had never in her life heard about that. Since nail soup had to be a very cheap meal, she became terribly curious to learn how to prepare that, stingy as she was. That trick she was eager to learn. She went for both pot and water.
The wanderer put the pot on the fire, took an ordinary three - inch - nail out of his pocket and put it into the water.
-This is going to be a good and nourishing soup, he said, but if one had a little flour and groats in addition, it would be much better. But when there isn't one has to manage anyway.
-Surely there is something in the house, even if Ihave a hard life, the woman said, and the wanderer got what he needed. He now stirred carefully in the pot.
-This will be a fine soup that one can offer a gentleman's familty, he said.
-Well, I never!
-But if one had a little milk, then it would be still better.
-Do you really mean that?
-Sure, but when there“s no milk, I have to do without.
-To be sure, I have a little milk, the woman said and brought a whole soup bowl. He poured the milk into the pot stirred industriously and said:
-If one only had some salt meat and a few carrots with potatoes to put into the soup and some butter to frizzle it in, then you could even offer it to the king.
-Would you believe it, the woman said, to offer it to the king himself!
-Well, well, but when you don“t have any!
-To be sure, I always have some. The woman gave him everything he wanted and when the soup was ready, he took up the nail and put it into his pocket and asked the woman to taste. She tasted and thanked him.
-Wasn“t it good? he asked.
-Yes, quite delicious. Imagine being able to make such a tasty soup on a nail. It“s indeed very surprising. The woman praised his culinary skill. And when the wanderer wanted to lie down on the floor to rest, she offered him her best bed.
In the morning when he was about to leave, he got a shiny coin like a gift from a friend.
-Thank you very much, the woman said. Now I have learnt how to make soup on a nail.
-Yes, but also that you need more than only the nail, the wanderer said. And that was how the proverb came into existence: "It“s not difficult to make soup on a nail, if only you have something to thicken it with."
Hakan Falk
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