**thanks for the responses. to clarify, yes I guess I'm technically making stock but it's also "soup" all in one go. Can someone explain JerzeeTomato's explanation of clear broth being for when we're sick? Because yes I'm making it to tend to the cold virus.

Also to explain the reason for the question is that I was told by someone to discard because it sucked up all the "dirty" stuff of the chicken. Is that the case? I don't mind if it's mushy and tasteless, but someone told me the veggies sponge up the dirty stuff so that's why you just toss it. That was the impression I got, was: discard dirty foam, and discard dirty vegetables which have absorbed like a sponge, all the other 'dirtiness'...

As obvious as it may seem to y'all, it's a helpful thread to me to qualm my 2nd guessings once and for all. More comments appreciated!

One last thing, WHAT's the primary purpose of discarding the foam? What I've been taught is "bad foam, away with you." But if I'm just doing this for un-gourmet home use, when saving stock for later use, or making soup for oneself, is it so important to discard the foam? We often do things without knowing why, and I'm the kind of person that likes to know why. So why do we discard the foam? What about the dirty looking chicken bits floating all throughout the stock...a few of you mentioned thus that it's indeed fine to leave it in there? Is it only a matter of presentation?