Whatever happened to starting a meal with Soup?
When I was a kid and we went out to eat, the waiter always asked if we’d like soup or salad, sometimes you’d get both. It’s still around but not much. If you do get it, they bring you a little teaspoon of chicken broth and not 5 minutes later they show up with your entrée. It’s really designed to turn the table over quickly. The sooner they get you in and out, the sooner they can get another customer in. To be honest, when I was waitressing, one of my goals was to get them in and out in a hurry. There’s nothing worse for a server than someone sitting there all night. That being said, I can’t help thinking that an important part of the meal is missing.
I find that if I start a meal off with a soup or salad, I eat far less than I would without it. Usually by the time I get home from work, I’m famished and eat something I really shouldn’t and too much of it. When I have a nice bowl of soup, I calm down, my blood sugar is steady and I don’t stuff my face. Now when you’re squeezing the life out of every penny, soup, which is generally easy and cheap to make, can be a great starter. Sometimes, a bowl of soup is all I really need in the evenings. Sometimes I need a bit more but not much. So let’s get started with soup.