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Once there was a small kingdom ruled by a benevolent King and Queen and located deep in the forests of Bavaria. They were blessed with a son who showed great promise and was designated to become heir to the throne. Early in his life, the young Prince developed a fascination with all kinds of foods and their preparation. With not much to do in the castle after his daily tutoring, he spent much of his free time with the chefs and cooks in preparing and tasting foods that came into the kingdom from all parts of the world. Soon all of his favorite foods lost their appeal no matter how many different ways they were prepared. More foods of different varieties were brought in and they too failed to satisfy.
After many years of not liking any of the foods of his youth, the Prince decided to set out on his own to try to find the best food in the whole world. He started out on foot early one morning at sunrise while the dew was still on the grass and while the fog was still clinging to forest floor. At about mid-morning, he was beginning to tire when he heard a noise coming through the trees. As he approached the area where the noise was coming from, he encountered a woodcutter at work. Being somewhat startled, the woodcutter asked, "What is someone dressed like you doing in the woods this time of day?" The Prince replied he was on a mission to find the best food in the world and inquired of the woodcutter if he knew where he could find it.
"Sure," replied the woodcutter, "I can show you the best food in the world if you will help me chop trees and logs until noon." The Prince agreed and began doing the hardest work he had ever done in his life. He thought noon would never come and wondered why he had ever agreed to such a foolish arrangement; but his desire to find the ideal food overwhelmed his fatigue.
Soon it was lunchtime and the two men put away their tools and sat down beside a large oak tree. The woodcutter reached under a nearby log and puled out a leather pouch and a jug. The jug was filled with water that he offered first to his guest before taking a huge drink himself. From the leather pouch the woodcutter pulled out a large loaf of dry brown bread. He gave the Prince a large helping of bread that the Prince quickly ate before asking for more. This process was repeated once more before the Prince finally took another large gulp of water and rose to thank the woodcutter. "You were right, that has to be the best food in the world," replied the Prince. "Today I will return to the castle and announce to the chefs and cooks that I have found the best food in the world."
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Another variant is The Prince Who Wasn't Hungry, which can be found in the following collection: