Soup of the day (SOTD) is a popular acronym in the homesick communities of Reddit and other digital nomad forums, used to describe a hot meal that someone is cooking for you when you log on to connect with them remotely via chat. The name Speedways Soup Of The Day comes from the common threads that connect these mini meals:
- the place the meal is coming from (e.g. “Delhi Butter Chicken” or “Singaporean Beef Noodle Soup”)
- the type of food (e.g. “soup” or “fish”)
- the time it is being served (e.g. “lunchtime” or “nightshade” — a no-hunting time in the middle of the night)
- the person serving it (e.g. “I” or “me”)
- the mood in which it is being served (e.g. “sad” or “cheerful”)
- whether it is being served naked (e.g. “yes” or “no”)
- the method of delivery (e.g. “bullet”, “smoker”, or “barrel”)
- optional flavor ingredients (e.g. “onion” or “garlic” or “chili”)
The meal is often described as a “rags-to-riches” story, with characters such as Han Solo and Tony Stark serving as modern-day manifestations of the robber baron and bootleggers of old — except that these criminals are now cooking you a scrumptious meal using loopholes and loopholes of the law.
Is It Just A Fad?
Soup of the day is a fairly new concept, emerging around 2010 as a combination of Reddit and Homesick (a digital nomad forum). It began as a way for someone who was homesick to deliver a message (to a large audience) via a bite-sized chuck whole that they could devour in just one sitting. In these days of pandemic, restrictive curfew and camping restrictions, it is the perfect way to get your daily allotment of meals without being detected by the soup police (aka your smartphone).
Is this just a passing trend, like the hip huevos rancheros of the 1960s or the grilled cheese fad of the 1970s? Perhaps, but until the pandemic, it was one that many were glad to welcome.
The Evolution Of A Recipe
It is important to note that while the original SOTD recipe called for a bullet firearm (as in, “Pull the trigger and watch the soup spray”), modern-day iterations have evolved to include electricity-harvesting solar panels, gas-making fireplace stoves, and even an atmospheric water generator! The search for the perfect SOTD has become an obsession for many Reddit users, with entire subs dedicated to the holy grail of recipes.
The Many Ways To Prepare A Soup
Let’s examine the many ways that you can prepare a bowl of soup. While some prefer to make a thick, brothy consistency using a large pot and a slow simmer, others like to keep things more flavorful by shredding meat and slow-cooking it in a stock pot. You can use almost any kind of protein you can get your hands on: beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, rabbit, and even tofu! You can add almost any vegetable or fruit to your soup, as well as grains like wheat, rice, or barley. Just remember: the closer the resemblance to broth, the better! Depending on how authentic you want your soup to be, use the following strategies:
Make It Organic
If you are going to indulge in this hobby of creating elaborate meals in your head, why not do it by following the vegetarian path? After all, eating plants is better for the environment, and what’s more, it tastes absolutely fabulous! When you remove the flesh and replace it with plants and grains, you rid your body of most diseases caused by flesh eating, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer! So, if you want to keep your soup fans happy, why not try and make it organic? To minimize your carbon footprint, use only plants and ingredients that are environmentally sourced. In order to guarantee the safety of your sugar addition, it’s best to make soup with unrefined cane sugars like agave or maple syrup. If you make it with honey, you risk spreading the disease known as “honey fever” (henna dermatitis) due to the antibiotic tetracycline, which is added to most honey products. In some areas, the spread of honey fever has been linked to an increase in staph infections, especially among infants and young children. Eating local, organic food is also essential in keeping soup special! When you shop for food staples and ingredients, always think about where they came from and how they were produced. As for the method of preparation, a simmering soup is a great way to cook, as it is slow and steady, preventing the edible matter from overcooking. Keep an eye on the soup and skimming fat off the surface with a skewer is also a good technique!
Make It Thick
For a more traditional taste, you can prepare a thicker soup using a strategy known as “the three S’s”: source, strategy, and simmer. The three S’s of thickening a soup are:
- source: increase the volume of liquid you are using
- strategy: addition of thickeners
- simmer: cook slowly
To thicken a soup, you must use a strategy that works with the type of soup you are already cooking. For example, if you are making a brothish soup, additional meat and vegetables will thicken it up. If you are making a thin soup, useful thickeners include: