GrahamB wrote: certain naivete
i think that is putting it very mildly
i am not sure if you know this, chinese have a stew dish called lu3
for some old and established restaurants in china and taiwan, the
original stew soup has not been changed for decades; some even
proudly proclaim their stew is not changed for a century.
the restaurant owner just keep adding more water/soup, spices
and condiments, and more ingredients to the original stew pot
i like mine with black soy sauce and more ginger
after eating, qi energy come immediately