Crackers in Your Soup

It’s lunchtime. I’m seated at the kitchen table cogitating over a bowl of steaming chunky vegetable soup with black beans. Funny how a jingle from a commercial can transport you back. That song you heard was from the 1960s Campbell’s soup commercials.

On this cool cloudy afternoon, soup just sounds good, “And it’s so good for you.” Without giving it a thought apparently, I mosey to the pantry and rummage for the crackers. Then back to the table, open the box, pull out three crackers, and crumble them closed fist into my soup.

I'm curious, have you ever stopped to ponder why we add pulverized chunks of crackers to soup? Stick around and we will uncover this mystery of my delectable dish.

Maybe it’s not really a mystery, but a habit that developed when we were young. I vividly remember my mother painstakingly twisting that manual can opener to crack open a can of soup. (Today I was able to just flip a tab and pop the top).

Then the crackers would appear on the table. I was just following Dad’s lead. Three crackers per bowl, no more, no less. We always sat together as a family to eat dinner (we called it supper). In the 1960s that just the way it was. Dinner time was family time. TV was out of the question. “No - you’re not eating in the living room. You don’t want to spill on Mom’s carpet.”

But why crackers? No one ever explained that to me, of course I never really asked. Anyway, here's my theory.

First of all the soup is hot. If you’re really cold and hungry from shoveling snow off the walkways in winter and try to shove a large spoonful into your mouth - it's like eating hot magma. Instant reaction - yow, plop, spitting the soup back into the bowl. Did Mom see that?

Second, if you were served the meatless Campbell’s soup, there wasn’t much to it, mostly water. So the crackers would add substance to the hot watery flavor. Also the crackers served as a heat sink, dissipating the heat. When you gobbled up the soup it, “warms the way for the rest of the meal.” Oops, sounds too much like the commercial.

What about chili you ask? Well, that’s another story altogether.

Crackers and chili just don't go together. Chili requires fresh chopped carrots and a little milk. Where did that come from? Who knows. Of course, we all have quirky eating habits.

Anyway, upon reflection, yes, I'll admit it's luxury having the time to contemplate something as simple as crackers in your soup.

Please excuse me while I enjoy my lunch.

This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening. See you in the next episode . . .

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