Two Very Different Dinner Plates

A fox invited her neighbour, a stork, to dinner in a woodland cottage. The stork arrived with careful steps, glad to spend an evening with a new friend.

The kitchen smelled of vegetable soup. The fox poured it into two very shallow bowls and set them on the table. She knew her own tongue could reach every drop.

The stork lowered his long beak toward the soup. It tapped the bowl, but he could scarcely gather a sip. He tried sideways while the fox lapped happily.

The fox asked whether the dinner was delicious. The stork said little, though his stomach remained empty. He thanked his host and invited her to his home the next evening.

At the stork's house, another good dinner waited. This time the food was served in tall jars with narrow openings. The fox sniffed eagerly and pulled up a chair.

The stork slid his long beak easily into his jar. The fox's wide muzzle stopped at the neck of hers. She could smell the dinner but could not taste it.

The fox turned the jar, peered inside, and tried again. It was no use. For the first time, she understood how her guest had felt beside yesterday's shallow bowl.

She admitted that her dinner had not been fair. The stork agreed that this one was not fair either. Making another guest hungry had shown the problem, but had not solved it.

Together they fetched a wide bowl for the fox and a deep cup for the stork. The same warm food filled both dishes. At last, both neighbours could eat comfortably.

Their next invitation included one extra question: which dish works best for you? The cottage table became a friendly place when each host paid attention to the person coming.