By: Izzy Cheung, Staff Writer
Recently, the debate of soup versus stew was brought up in The Peak’s online office space. Obviously, this caused a torrid discussion on why one or the other is better. More importantly, it sparked a question crucial to not just our staff but the rest of society as well — what exactly is soup? Does this question truly matter? Maybe not. But today, this grand soupy day, it does.
We can trace the origins of soup back to 20,000 BC, China, where a soup bowl was thought to be found in Xianrendong Cave. Since then, soup has become a popular dish throughout all cultures. From squash to the ever-famous tomato, soups are one of the best dishes — as a soup-er food, they squash the competition.
However, certain soups are different from the rest — the chunks in a smooth slurp, one may say. Noodle dishes such as ramen or phở provide the warming comfort of soup and include whole, chunky ingredients that may push them away from the “soup” label. Even so, they make miso happy — so perhaps they could be considered stew. But can stew be considered a soup? As you sit around and stew over this question, let me enlighten you on my thoughts.
Merriam-Webster defines soup as “a liquid food especially with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base and often containing pieces of solid food.” On the other hand, their definition of stew is “fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewing.” Would this not make stew a kind of soup? Perchance.
Does this mean that chicken noodle soup is a stew? Would clam chowder also be considered a stew? Would vegetable stew even be considered stew? Are we not, then, the stew of life, brewing up our own day-to-day shenanigans? These are essential questions.
How do vegetables come into play? Kale, carrot, or other vegetable-based juices — would those be soups? No specific guideline says that soups must be warm, so would my smoothies be soups? They are liquid food, after all. Could the same be said for soups? Could a soup be considered a smoothie? Merriam-Webster says a smoothie is “a creamy beverage made of fruit blended with juice, milk, or yogurt,” eliminating a few types of soups. Since it’s a clear, brothy soup, chicken noodle soup can’t be considered a smoothie. But would soups made with milk or cream be considered smoothies? Cream of mushroom smoothie? Cream of corn smoothie? What about cream of wheat? Is that a soup? Oatmeal soup? WHAT IS SOUP????
With all this in mind, the world is full of soups, stews, and smoothies. A popular condiment, the blended beverage known as ketchup, is a smoothie. Puddles that form on the street, littered with sticks and mud from the Vancouver weather — these are soup. When we brush our teeth, scrubbing away at leftover food stuck in small crevices, the liquified toothpaste that’s left behind . . . that’s soup! If you put your mind to it, anything could be considered soup. And really, isn’t that a beautiful thing?
The next time you sit in a hot tub, lake, or any other body of water, despite enjoying the warmth of the jets pressing at your back, please consider this — at that moment, would you be a soup or a stew?
