Precious Onions
Once upon a time there lived a man called Saul who was always in search of adventure. One day, a traveller came to Saul’s village and told of a far-away country where onions were unknown.
“What!” cried Saul in astonishment. “No onions? How can people eat food without the taste of delicious onions?”
He decided that he would introduce onions to those ignorant folks. He bought a wagon-load of onions and set off. As soon as he was admitted to the king’s presence, Saul announced, “I have brought a unique vegetable which will improve the taste of your food greatly.”
The king agreed to ask his cooks to use the onions. “But if we fall ill, then it’s off with your head,” he warned Saul.
The next day, a number of dishes were prepared with the onions. A great banquet was held where everyone was invited.
As they ate, Saul could see that the onions captivated all, from the king to the commoner. And everyone agreed that from then on, they would not eat food without onions in it!
The king was very pleased with Saul and offered him gold equal in weight to the onions he had brought. When he reached home, he related his adventure to the admiring villagers. One of them, Peter, thought over what Saul had said.
“If onions were welcomed so warmly, then what might be the reaction to garlic?” he pondered. “It adds even more flavour to food. Why, the king might even reward me with diamonds!”
So Peter carted five sacks of garlic to the same kingdom. The king agreed to introduce garlic to his people. When everyone sampled the food cooked with garlic, they praised it to the skies and remarked that it was even better than onions. As Peter had predicted, the king and his minister wished to gift him something even more valuable than gold.
After a long discussion, the king summoned Peter and said,“We would like to present you with the most precious commodity in our kingdom to express our gratitude for your gift of garlic.”
And the king handed over to Peter five sacks full of onions!
