Thursday, February 24, 2011

destined to disappoint

Yes, this is my second post in about 8 hours. Please don't judge me. I have a lot of deep thoughts when I'm staying home sick, and I've never been one to keep thoughts to myself.

Especially thoughts about food.

Especially food that is consistently disappointing. Because I feel like it's my duty, as a human being and good citizen, to whine about anything remotely disappointing.

And one thing that is ALWAYS disappointing? Canned soup.

Say it with me now: blech.

I always have high hopes for canned soup. I am a sucker for marketing and pretty pictures, I'll be the first to admit it. And canned soup just looks so good in its pretty can...photographs of bountiful vegetables and steaming meats...thick broths and delicate seasonings. Oh, a soup can can paint a pretty picture in your mind, my friend.


But then you eat it. And it tastes like Canned. Soup.


Always. They all taste the same. It could be a Beef Barley or Italian Wedding...Reduced Sodium Vegetable or Chicken with Egg Noodles...Clam Chowder or Chicken and Dumplings. They all taste the SAME. Like canned soup.


And yet I keep buying it. For one thing, with the couponing, I can usually get it for next to nothing. And mind you, I'm not talking about off-brand soups from concentrate or something. These are your mainstream, name-brand cans. I pulled a few cans out of the stockpile to illustrate:


Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring. Except for the can on top, the King of Canned Items: Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Now I've got no beef (hardee har har) with Dinty Moore. But then, it's not really soup, and it's not even sold in the soup aisle. Dinty Moore is a god amongst mere mortal cans of soup. That's why I put it on the top of the pyramid.

But canned soup? Such a disappointment. Pretty much the only kind that doesn't bother me is tomato. For some reason it doesn't have that same flavor every other kind gets. But then...it's tomato soup. *yawn*

Is there any hope out in soup-land? Anyone know some brand and flavor I've missed out on? Because I keep going back, hoping for redemption. It would be so convenient if soup were good. What an easy lunch or dinner! However, I'm not willing to stoop to the level of eating nastiness just for convenience's sake. I stooped there today, because I was sick and eating soup seems right when you're sick. After about 5 bites, I lovingly gave the rest to Lola. She looked hungry, and she's known to have an indiscriminate tongue.

Anyway...the part of my lunch that did not disappoint?

 Blood oranges. Um, yeah. Matt and I decided to walk on the wild side with our citrus this week, and wild it was. They taste pretty much like regular oranges. But you look like a vampire with blood dripping down your face when you eat them (I guess. I don't eat in front of a mirror. But my fingers looked like that.). Um, and they're called blood oranges. I don't usually like to associate blood with what I'm eating. So, definitely weird, but fun nonetheless.

And at least it took my mind off the Colossal Disappointment of Canned Soup.

EDIT: With all the time I had on my hands, I figured out how to make a "real" header and changed my blog theme! If you're viewing this in Reader, come check it out live so you can marvel at my handywork...and leave a comment *ahem*...

9 comments:

  1. That's the sad part of reading blogs in a reader. But I must say I love your new header. Thanks for encouraging me to come on over!

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  2. Ugh, you are so right about canned soup. But if you make a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it (or, better yet, get someone else to make it), you don't notice the nastiness of the soup as much. That's about the only way I've found to redeem canned soup.

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  3. Sorry you're sick! Tell your 4 year-olds to keep their germs to themselves- come on now!

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  4. so real soup is super easy to make(well, not when your sick)...and cheaper than canned soup. I make big batches then freeze it.

    Love the new look of your blog. You need a button too...so I can add you to the side of my blog. Or I can just make one for you.

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  5. Yes, definitely make your own soup! Marshall made me broccoli/cheese soup (Panera Bread knockoff) last week. SO good! Save the leftover "juice" from canned vegetables and you can make vegetable soup!

    from Hartley: /............ b b xcgt6tvvvvvvvvvvg666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666667

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  6. We love Trader Joe's boxed soup...maybe it's the can that disappoints? Anyway, Ian loves their tomato and roasted red pepper. We've tried several and all have been great, so I'd give them a shot!

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