Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Like Soup for Breakfast


Lately it seems that all signs point to soup. 

Soup.  Yes, that’s what I said.

The thing is that the soup conversation started out as an analogy for… well… nothing.  It was actually a conversation about soup, and how it’s good for you in the week before a race because it’s high in liquid and high in sodium, both of which are things that runners need in quantity.  I suggested it as a good source of the needed ‘lacking’ minerals.

But, as sometimes happens, the soup conversation started to evolve, until the next thing we knew, soup was synonymous with politics, running, sex, and life in general.

What do I want out of my soup?  It’s something I’ve been asking for a while now.  

Patience.  I like soup that’s had a while to simmer.  It makes me appreciate it more.  While soup that comes out of a can, goes into the microwave and is ready to eat in 90 seconds is fine from a nutritional standpoint, it doesn’t do much for my soul.

Consistency.  By this age in my life, I know what soup I like best.  I’m not going to change from my basic soup habits and expect to be fully satisfied with a completely new soup.  That’s not to say I won’t try new recipes, but in general, I know how much running I can do before I get hurt, how to balance my school work and fun time, what makes me cranky, and that I like a lot of variety in my favorite kind of soup.

Variety.  I never make the same soup exactly the same way twice.  Repeating the same soup and expecting to like it as much as last time seems ridiculous.  Where is the room for improvement?  So when I’m constructing a training plan, or even ~gasp~ making soup, I like to play around with the ingredients.  If 2 twenty milers was good, is three better?  If I peaked after the 3rd, would 6X 16 miles work just as well?  If I like ½ cup butter beans in my Brunswick stew, would I like ½ cup baby limas better?  The other day I was scrambling to find something quick and healthy to eat, and nothing appealed, so I ate cold soup for breakfast.  And you know what?  It was delicious.  

Sensuality.  My favorite kind of soup is best served hot after a long simmer, with a side of warm respect, and enough spices available that can be used to adjust the flavor as the moment demands...  but the thing about soup is that everyone has their own preference.  There are probably 10,000 flavors.  So in all seriousness, if you prefer your soup cold, or in a mug, or completely different from mine, then go you.  It's not my place to tell anyone how to best enjoy their soup.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was an awesome post. It was about soup, but so much more as well. I had to laugh while reading it, though, because I am somewhat infamous for soup. I'd say "famous," but that would be misleading. I am well-known for throwing odds and ends into a pot, calling it soup, and expecting people to eat it. Quite often it doesn't taste terrible. Equally as often, though, it turns out really bland. I need to work on those spices, I guess. Soup on!

Michelle @ www.movinitwithmichelle.com said...

I couldn't help but to totally enjoy this post, while thinking back to Seinfeld..."NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!" LOL!

gba_gf said...

yes!!! I thought of that too when the whole "soup" conversation started.

Char said...

I like the analogy. Very clever.