I got it!!!!! Icon goes next to my name - boy, that sure took me a while to figure out
now to your other questions - or rather not to them - as the way I see it, you really do know the answers!!!!! yes, stock is a broth - and yes, not something particular to mb - I'm not that much of a connoisseur to give the difference - I'm guessing stock is more like background music to a theme - you can build on it - maybe broth has more definition to it - anyway, I don't think the difference is crucial. The idea is that in macrobiotics, everything should be used - so in order not to throw away the peels , I cook them up (again, remember only when I'm organized) and strain, and then use the cooked water Ostock) for cooking - it doesn't have to just be for a soup, it could be used for anything you use water for as long as the flavors seem to match - like for cooking grain or beans or any vegetables. In many cookbooks, there are recipes for different kinds of stocks, eg. Christina Pirello in Cooking The Whole Foods Way has a nice long section on how to use stocks, and then lists recipes for three stocks she often uses for soups. and yes, I've seen recipes for stocks in many other (non mb) cookbooks.
otoh, I had a teacher who'd told us not to be using up always liquids from other foods (eg liquid left after cooking vegetables) as the more you cook something the more yang it is (you've applied both more fire and more time) - so you need to be conscious also of what effect you want - sometimes you want more yang, sometimes not (hope this isn't too confusing for someone just starting out)
which is related to your other question about wide - our goal is to reach balance - if you look into whichever mb books you have, I'm sure there'll be a list of foods and other characteristics (color, activity, season, time, etc) and will be charted as which is more yin - and which less, ditto with yang. This is something that can be confusing at the beginning, as nothing is pure anything, it's all in relation to each other. But after a while you get a feel, and realize which foods are further away from the balancing central - now it's also different for everyone (you didn't think it would be easy, did you??!!) - relaxed with the food is a good way of putting it - newbies often ask, is this or that allowed in mb?? which isn't exactly how we look at things, rather, can I at this time eat this and be willing to pay the price - or rather, can I enjoy this knowing it is wide, but I know how to get myself back into center - kind of like that - sorry, it truly will come with experience, I promise!!!!!
funny, never thought my background so unique. What I love reading about are those who have experienced challenges and overcame them with mb - those are inspiring stories and you can find them on the computer as well as in books.
Klara