A student wandered into the kitchen as the master was preparing the evening meal. The master beckoned to him saying, “Come in, my young pupil, and inspect the evening meal I am preparing.”

The young man stepped closer and the master raised the lid from a pot on the warm stove. The wise old man gestured at the pot and instructed, “Young man, look inside this pot. Tell me, what do you see?”

The young man looked into the pot and saw it was full of vegetables, meat, and a thick, rich gravy. It smelled incredible! He licked his lips.

“I see…” he began, pondering the delightful pot of stew in front of him, “carrots.”

The master nodded his head. “Good,” he said. “And what else do you see?”

The student answered, “I see peas.”

“Correct, go on.”

The student pointed into the pot, “I think this right here might be onion.”

“Very good,” the master nodded. “Keep going.”

“Well, these here are obviously potatoes, and — “

” — and beef, and gravy, and garlic,” the master interrupted. “Yes, all these things and more. Everything you have said is true. But you’ve overlooked the most important thing in the pot.”

The student raised his eyebrows. “Master, what have I overlooked?”

“What I see in the pot,” the master mused as he grabbed a ladle, “is stew.” The master scooped some stew into a bowl and handed it to the student with a broad smile. “And it’s delicious!”