Soup Club Birthday Pickle Party

Oh, how we love our Soup Club! And today? Today was one for the history books. The kind of Soup Club meeting that will be whispered about for decades. Here’s why:

1. It was Tam’s turn to bring soup, and the word on the street yesterday was… dill pickle soup. WTF? I’ve had pickle pizza before (and loved it), but soup? Bold move, Tam.

2. Rumor #2: Sour Dough Justy might make a guest appearance. Always a wild card. Would she bring bread? Would she finally pony up the $20 and go “official”? Nobody knew.

3. And most importantly—it was my birthday. The only thing I ever wanted in this life was for Soup Club to land on my big day, and that dream just happened!

Noon rolled around, and in true Soup Club fashion, Kevin was already sitting in the conference room with a full bowl, eating solo. (I picture Thanksgiving at his house: family just settling in, and there’s Kevin at the head of the table 3/4 done with his plate, ranking all of the relative's creations and planning his 2nd plate.)

The soup? Smelled exactly like dill pickles—which makes sense because, you know, dill pickle soup. Tam, of course, didn’t stop there. She had toppings galore: raw garlic, parmesan, some green flakey stuff, sliced grilled chicken sausage, and for bonus flair—fancy bread with flavored oil and a big ol’ fruit bowl spread. I need to stop at one bowl? Yeah right.

Then…Justy walks in! Not only did she show, but she brought me leftover soup from her dinner yesterday (for my tomorrow). I traded her some smoked salmon. Barter system alive and well—Tatanka style.

Somewhere in between bowls, I decided to show the group a health class video I’d watched the night before. It answered the timeless question: “Should I eat eggs or not eat eggs?” (Spoiler: Kevin loved it.)

Rankings went down like this: Kevin: 9.6, Conlan: 9.0, Justy: 7.8, Andy: 8.2, Me: 8.1

The math made no sense (Kevin’s had it at 7.48 somehow), but who cares—bottom line, this soup was freaking delicious.

Now, about my “one bowl only” goal… yeah, that failed. I had two bowls, then grabbed one for Felton (he doesn’t count, but gave it a 10 because there was meat – wait…should Justy’s vote count?), then poured myself a third, forgot to take a photo, so I topped it off again for the picture. Official count: 3.5 bowls! Only 7,500% over my goal - Arthur Brooks would call me a "striver"!

Next week, it’s Conlan’s turn. Rumor says he’s got some vegan Native American fusion masterpiece up his sleeve. Justy’s planning to return too, trying to push her “Dances with Wolves” bartering program—bean soup for salmon? Peace pipe for knife? Honestly, it might just work.