Of Fish and Fishing Poles

The recient ruminations on the nature of old school roleplaying made me think of somthing I read in a novel. World War Z byMax Brooks. Good book I recommend it. A pilot was talking about resupplying stranded enclaves of people trapped behind enemy lines. "They don't need fish.", someone said "They need fishing poles." That line stuck in my mind and resurfaced when I was reading posts about old school RPGs. That let to this idea. The current version of D&D gives you a fish. Original D&D gives you a fishing pole. Both games have you ending up with a fish dinner but how you get there is different. Old School seems more self-sufficient. Once you have it you don't need anything else. You make it up yourself. New school needs constant resupply. New books constantly shipped out so you don't go hungry. I don't think either way is right or wrong. Some people like to catch their dinner some don't.