Soup Night on Stanton Street: 99 Recipes for Finding Community in a Bowl of Soup
5 stars
288 pages
Expected publication: Oct. 22, 2013 by Storey Publishing
As a rule, I am not a gushy person, but I am going to gush
about this cookbook/giver-of-hope to society.
If you don’t know your neighbors and don’t care to, please
don’t read this book – you might just grow a heart and start to feel
neighborly. If you like your neighbors and/or want to get to know them better,
this is the perfect facilitator.
Humans live in groups for a reason – to help each other, to
fill that basic need for human interaction. Only recently have people become
hermits – glued to their computers and gaming systems. No human contact needed.
Is this healthy? No.
Soup Night on Stanton Street provides a recipe to counteract this
isolationism. Before I picked this ARC up to review, I had no idea what Soup
Night specifically was. It’s basically one night a month that a neighborhood
gets together and bonds over delicious soups. What a simple idea, but it
provides bounteous returns.
And it’s a neighborhood trend popping up around the nation. It
gives one a sense of belonging, community and love. Soup Night, per se, is not
an original idea, but it’s one that’s making a comeback. We do it in my church
every 2nd Sunday. But we call it a Linger Longer, and it’s a pure
potluck. We don’t specify soup only. We get to visit and chat with each other
and build stronger ties. Because of this monthly get-together, we are quite a
close congregation – no one feels alone.
I’m not going to go into all the great positive things that
come from Soup Night (there are too many to list here!) – buy the beautifully
designed book and read about them. It’s totally worth it. Be aware, you’re going to get a bit of positive
social history along with your cookbook. Happily, the writing is great, so it’s
actually fun to read others’ stories. They flesh out the book and give depth to
the recipes.
Speaking of the recipes – which come from Soup Night groups
all over the country – they look delectable and totally doable, for novice to
expert. Besides a wonderful seasonal collection of soups, bisques, chowders,
etc., there are breads, desserts, cookies, salads, garnishes, and a slew of
other soup “accompaniments.”
And for the beginning cook, the book also explains different
cooking techniques – like how to make a roux, for example.
Feel inspired? Step-by-step directions in Chapter 6 tell you
exactly how to start your own community Soup Night, complete with checklists
and advice from organizers from across the country.
This cookbook not only gives my stomach cause to rejoice,
but it also gives me hope in people. Soup Night will nurture your body and soul.
Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for allowing me to review this ARC.
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