Alphabet Soup
n (1934): a hodgepodge esp. of initials (as of the names of organizations) ~ Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed.
Hm.
Nope. That’s not it.
This is it:
True Confessions ~
I come by my love of soup honestly.
It’s on my genetic code.
Thank you, mama.
We grew up on Campbell’s soups. There were five children in our family and both parents worked full time… to make a living. Mom didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen at the end of the day. Any day.
She had a passion — still does — for soup. When I think about her, soup (and crackers) is an image that always pops into my head. Alphabet. Tomato. Pepper Pot. Chicken Noodle might be there, but I’ve learned to block that from my brain. It isn’t a Campbell’s soup that I embrace, then or now.
My passion now is homemade soup. I grew up to be a sodium freak, as in less is best.
Dutch Split Pea with Ham. Potato Leek. Chicken Vegetable Barley.
Tomato! Always, always with grilled cheese. It’s a classic, and one of my go to comfort foods. It’s ladled into those little Campbell’s soup mugs. I have them. Oh yes, I do.
Hamburger Soup is a tradition for Halloween, though it’s made with lean ground turkey more often than not.
But Alphabet and Tomato were my childhood favorites.
Pasta letters in your bowl?
C’mon. It’s a kid’s dream come true.
That’s entertainment, baby.
There are 36 posts waxing about soup on this blog. Go ahead. Type “soup” in the search bar. I’ll wait.
Living in the Great White North will do that to you. A stockpot, root vegetables, barley, and broth become an obsession. In fact, new immigrants settlers should be issued a stockpot upon arrival at the border. Just sayin’. It’s going to be your new best friend.
And then there’s the whole genetic code thing.
Yup. 36.
There’s even one dedicated to a chilled soup. Feels Like 98…
And my personal fave — Man Speak…
Soup has been around since man began cooking.
Alphabet Soup, according to this post at TriviaHappy, has been around for 150 years.
Campell’s started adding alphabet pasta to their vegetable soup in 1915.
Um. That’s not when I started eating it. Shakes head vehemently.
So.
If you had a bowl of Alphabet Soup as a kid — or even later — raise your hand.
If you’re a soup addict like me, wave both your hands madly.
If you’ve never touched a bowl of soup in your life, put your head on your desk.
If you’ve ever made a naughty word with your Alphabet Soup letters… just send me a paper airplane note.
Don’t read that last sentence, Campbell’s mama. Of course, we didn’t do that. Never. Ever.
Here be Hump Day.
Let’s just slurp right through it.
Elen
Elen Grey 