294943 Tue Nov 18 15:00:03 -0800 2003 5 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1619301 The very recent Soup thread reminds me to proffer an observation/question regarding the eschewing of hot soup by many Anglo?-Americans during the warm months. Admittedly, I suffer soup mania. As home food(regardless of origin) or pabulum(in a good way...meaning easy to digest)...a great broth is one of the more exquisite foodstuffs under the sun. I grew up in Texas and ate soup throughout the seasons as did my family. Only upon moving North did I encounter this soup-eating dichotomy. It occurs to me that in Southeast Asia they routinely eat broth and soups(often as a bland component in a spicier meal), but these preparations do steam. So what's up with the "I only eat soup in colder weather." Where does this come from? Curiouser and curiouser. Tue Nov 18 15:00:03 -0800 2003 0 malcarne 1 1619307 I eat soup all year round, but I tend to cook soup more in cold weather, simply because it heats up the house. I think it's natural to feel attracted to something simmering on the stove on a cold, dark day. Tue Nov 18 15:23:45 -0800 2003 1619301 0 Ruth Lafler 2 1619319 The obvious hot/cool foods vis vis monthly temperature is obvious. That's not what I'm getting at. Perhaps it DOES just boil(no pun intended) down to a cultural apprehension(far less Anglo? than Regional). Before moving north I never experienced revulsion at the suggestion of soup in warm weather. Either you enjoyed soup or you didn't with no reference to the season. Tue Nov 18 16:10:28 -0800 2003 1619307 0 malcarne 3 1619320 not my revulsion, others' Tue Nov 18 16:11:16 -0800 2003 1619319 0 malcarne 1 1619316 Try a bowl of gazpacho on a 110F degree day. Then try a bowl of steaming-hot beef consomme during a blizzard. Then try the opposite. I think then you will understand that although any soup CAN be eaten at any time of year, most are far more SATISFYING in some months and less so in others. It may be hard to believe, but sometimes us Anglo?-Americans do have insights that result in improved deliciousness. Tue Nov 18 15:52:26 -0800 2003 1619301 0 nja 1 1619325 I recall reading a piece about "soup houses" in, maybe, China, where the hottest weather requires the hotest, spiciest soup. The men sit around and eat this searing soup, sweat a lot, and cool down, as a result. Makes sense. Tue Nov 18 16:29:45 -0800 2003 1619301 0 Pat Hammond