If you read this blog even occasionally, you know of my love and devotion for the mere concept of soup. I believe it to be not only as close to perfect a food as food gets, but often also a perfect representation of the culture from which that soup originates. When I say I am making such a soup, I am painstaking in doing it properly, and with authenticity. Yet my pantry almost always has two Campbell’s condensed soups: Tomato and Chicken Noodle.
They do in fact qualify under any definition of “soup”, but for me they take a special place – a comfort, or sick, food. This is what I my Mother fed me when I was under the weather. And, man, have I been under the weather the last week. I decide it was a good time to get pneumonia. Chills, fever, barking cough, difficulty breathing and worst of all a complete and utter loss of appetite. For the most part I was living on water and Canada Dry Ginger Ale (accept no substitutes). But when I did crave something more, it was one or the other of these.
So, here’s to the pride of Camden, New Jersey, and here’s to comfort foods!