The mountain above the valley was actually a sleeping giant, though tourists preferred the word geological. Every hundred years, the giant woke, stretched, and accidentally caused rockslides unless offered breakfast quickly.
The valley council prepared porridge in a copper cauldron, but the youngest cook, Elan, tasted it and frowned. It was enormous but dull. He climbed a ladder and cracked black pepper over the whole bubbling surface until the steam smelled alive.
The giant woke, ate, smiled, and settled back down so gently that only three pebbles rolled onto the road. Elan became Keeper of Breakfast, a position taken far more seriously than mayor. The lesson entered local law: large problems are not solved by quantity alone; seasoning matters.