In Praise of Soups–Stone, Bone and More

 

One of my husband’s nieces changed her eating habits to have soup for dinner every night. She lost quite a bit of weight doing that. Jagdish and I enjoy soup. Sometimes he’ll make it using one of those broths that come in boxes. More often, we’ll have a can of something from Progresso. We try to get ones with lower sodium. For whatever reason, I’ve been eating less lately. I sleep more hours, so I often have just two meals a day. One might be soup. I’ve lost 15 pounds in about 5 weeks. I don’t know if it’s just lower caloric intake, or if it’s that soup thing working. I’ve decided to praise the soup.

 

The soups my husband makes are always broth-like. He uses those boxes I just mentioned as his base. He adds various fresh vegetables, usually some ginger, and a few spices. Lately he’s been requesting that I get the boxes that say “Bone Broth”. The subtext says chicken or beef; we prefer the chicken, especially because that’s usually available in low sodium.

 

I have no idea what prompted him to become a fan of bone broth, but it seems to be extremely popular now. Some people even drink it straight. I’ve made turkey soup from the leftover Thanksgiving carcass. But somehow seeing “bone” on a label creeps me out. The Healthline website says: “Bone broth dates back to prehistoric times, when hunter-gatherers turned otherwise inedible animal parts like bones, hooves, and knuckles into a broth they could drink.”

 

“Otherwise inedible parts” sends a shiver up my spine. The site says bone broth “may” benefit the digestive system and help fight inflammation; no promises, of course. Be that as it may, my husband is now a devotée of the bone broth trend. By the time he finishes making his soup, it looks like any other broth and smells appealing, too.

 

The Progresso soups are great go-to options when neither of us wants to make lunch or dinner. This happens more often lately. There are several flavors of Progresso that we enjoy, like their Savory Chicken & Wild Rice and their Southwest Style Black Bean & Vegetable. Those are both reduced sodium varieties. Their Light group doesn’t float our boats as much, but the calories range from just 130 (Savory Vegetable Barley) to 200 per can. The chain stores often have good sales on Progresso. If I pay attention, I can stock up at a reasonable price hoping to lose more weight on this “soup diet.”

 

This brings me to my favorite part of this essay. You may have heard of egg drop soup or bird’s nest soup. But have you ever heard of stone soup? I don’t know if it comes to mind because “stone” rhymes with “bone” or if it’s just because it’s a fun story. You may be familiar with the tale of the stone soup. For those who are not, I hope you enjoy it.

 

A beggar came to the kitchen door of a farmhouse, carrying a rock. He asks the woman inside if he can borrow a large pan in which to make some stone soup. Curious, she hands him a pan, shows him where the water pump is, and offers to let him cook it on her kitchen stove. He puts the stone in the pot, fills it with water, and begins heating it. He tests it in a few minutes and declares: “It really needs just a pinch or two of salt and it will be fine.” The woman hands him her salt bowl. He tests it again in a few more minutes. “If only I had one or two slices of onion, my stone soup would be even better.” “I have plenty of onions,” the woman says. “You’re welcome to have one.”

 

After considerable stirring and cooking, the beggar muses: “What would really make this stone soup wonderful would be a stick of celery.” By now, the woman is complying with his wishes without even thinking about it. Finally, he comments that the only thing his stone soup needs to make it perfect is a carrot. Of course, a carrot appears in the woman’s hand. More stirring and cooking. More sampling. Eventually, the beggar pronounces the soup ready to eat.

 

The woman produces two bowls and a ladle with which to serve the soup. They sit together at her kitchen table to eat the soup. The woman remarks: “I can’t believe how good this soup is! And to think you made it with just a stone!”

 

To which I say: “I can’t believe what delicious soup my husband makes out of bone broth!”

 

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