Soup, anyone? Stick to Campbell's.

I wonder if Andy Warhol realized when painting his Campbell's soup can, that he was immortalizing something to emulate.

Well, that's how it appears today. With every chef nowadays needing to add his own "take" to recipes in no need of fixing, and thereby rendering them inedible, there's nothing but good old tried-and-true Campbell's to rely on. Who woulda thunk it?

Since I'm out of the house a lot, I'm forced to endure the misguided caprices of our so-called chefs. They just can't seem to keep their hands off the spice box, with disastrous results. Just this week:

Tomato soup, with cilantro. Horrific.
Lentil soup, with an amalgam of ill-matched spices. Dire.
Pea soup, with anise. The smell alone was enough to turn one's stomach.

Why is it so hard to serve pea soup the way it's supposed to be? It's been done for eons, after all.

I guess Campbell's gets the last laugh.

I am all about the Campbell's because I am a Southern woman. We have more specific Campbell's soups here. Cream of Chanterelle is my favorite. I make a lot of casseroles with it. I also reach for the Campbell's tomato when I am sick, but only because Chicken and Stars isn't available here.

So, there ya go.

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Mmmm, I would love a good Lobster bisque right now.

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Too bad Andy Rooney died -- that would have been a great segment for him.

Though I'll admit pea soup with anise does sound like a bit of a misfire.

Oh, I like cooking with Campbell's or using it as comfort food, but I would prefer a good French Onion crock dripping with cheese. :)

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I'd probably switch those around and do pea soup with cilantro and tomato soup with anise. But that's just my taste.

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Yes, but the anise pea soup hits were actual recipes, not just people saying "Can you believe it?"

Mr Matt, I agree about Campbell's tomato! I liked it as a kid, but after having had better versions--even better canned versions--I can't take Campbell's.

I miss La Madeleine's soups. I used to get my hair done in the Galleria and stop by for one right afterward. But there's a great place on 31st near my office for soup. Kind of a Soup Nazi style place, but with a very nice staff.

Campbell's tomato is OK only if I'm home sick. (That's what I equate it with, in fact, because it's what my mom used to give me when I was sick.)

And SOMMS, there's a canned version of pepper pot? Yikes. My dad, a native Philadelphian, gave me pepper pot soup as a kid without telling me about the tripe in it until I had eaten it. He ate scrapple, too. Ick.

Campbell's soups are a hit or miss for me. I think the chicken noodle has a weird smell and taste. I like the Manhattan Clam Chowder and vegetable soups though. I actually prefer Progresso sometimes because they are more substantial. But, I do love fresh soup. I guess it is a favorite food of mine.

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I love old cookbooks and I know I've found a good one when they start off the "Soups" chapter by saying you'll never make Tomato or Cream of Mushroom soup as good as Campbells so you might as well not even try.

And, as hard as it it to believe, MANY "elegant" cookbooks and food writers were of the opinion that a TRULY delicious way to start a dinner party was to serve "Soup (or Soupe) Mongol (or Mongole)" which was canned Campbell's tomato and split pea soups poured side-by-side into a bowl.

Calvin - Did you ever have Butera's cream of mushroom? That's the other soup I sorely miss. It was heavenly.

Now, it's rare I find a soup that would entice me to revisit a restaurant just for soup. There is one Mediterranean restaurant in Hyde Park in Chicago called Cedars that brings me back, though. All their soups are so aromatic and flavorful, it's hard to believe they are served at a small, mid-range restaurant. I cannot go eat there without ordering soup.


Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen

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Updated On: 3/2/12 at 01:02 PM

Yep, just had soup for lunch. I couldn't get the idea out of my head.

Went for the Hungarian Wild Mushroom.