The Great Soup Club Reset
Jeff
9/29/20265 min read
I feel like I'm now on a mini mission to save Soup Club…or at least save my version of Soup Club. You know, the one Andy and I envisioned when we founded this thing...Before he quit…before massive amounts of oil, cheese, butter and heavy cream started leaching their way into our soup pots.
I was actually a little discouraged after last week's soup. I started wondering if I really wanted to keep compromising what I choose to eat on what has now become a pretty regular basis. I was confused…Lost…Questioning everything…Maybe the other soupers know something I don't. Maybe adding mass quantities of high-calorie, high-fat, processed stuff is actually what we WANT to fuel our bodies with?
Then I did something crazy…I reread our own bylaws. What exactly were Andy and I thinking back in the day? Let's copy and paste a few blurbs:
“The mission of the SOUP’r Club is to share the joy of nourishing, whole-food soups, promote healthy eating habits, and foster a sense of community through the enjoyment of delicious homemade meals.”
“Whole Foods Only: All soups brought to the club must be made using whole, minimally processed ingredients. This includes vegetables, legumes, grains, lean proteins, herbs, and natural seasonings. No refined sugars, artificial additives, or heavily processed foods.”
“Healthy Focus: Each soup should prioritize nutritional value, focusing on wholesome, balanced ingredients. Avoid excessive use of oils, salts, or sugars to maintain the healthful nature of the soups.”
Okay! I WASN'T GOING CRAZY! This all makes sense again…Eat Healthy. Have Fun! I even remembered that the catalyst for Barry pouting and quitting before his first Soup Club meeting was the noodles he wanted to put into chicken noodle soup. A line was drawn back then. Then apparently, somewhere along the way...We erased the line.
I talked to Kevin about my Soup Club identity crisis, and he was very helpful. He reminded me that we created Toppers™, Bottomers™, and sides for exactly this reason. People can customize their bowls however they want. But the main soup—the thing being presented to and consumed by Soup Club members—should actually be good for us. There it is.
So I consulted with Soup Surgeon Jenn. Her suggestion? Mushroom and bean soup. My initial reaction? Meh. Then I started thinking about it…I have access to some of the best mushrooms around, right in Scottville, Michigan. I can use nutritional yeast. Cashews. Miso. Beans. All kinds of ingredients that can create a creamy, rich soup without dumping in the junk. Jenn was right. Mushroom and bean it is.
Together we concocted something we're calling: WFPB Northern Shroomposure. Oh, and apparently I've been so corrupted by the unhealthy soupers that I realized I've even stopped putting WFPB in front of my soups when they're actually WFPB! We're taking it back, people.
During the trial run, Jenn gave the soup a 10.0. I gave it a 10.0. Now, admittedly, we ate ours in the debut version of the SpudBowl™, which took my life in an entirely new direction. We'll talk about SpudBowl™ another day.
Today we had one question to answer: Did WFPB Northern Shroomposure save Soup Club? Let's find out.
Soup Club Feedback:
Nathan: Before we even get to the score, we have some fairly big Soup Club news. Nathan literally and figuratively turned in his spoon and bowl. He quit Soup Club. Gosh, I hope it wasn't because of last week's blog.
Kevin: Didn't like the uncooked mushrooms I added at the end because they turned a little slimy. Fair criticism. He started at a 9.0 without Habanero Harman's sauce and bumped it to a 9.5 with it. I appreciate the feedback!
Conlan: "Pretty good." He'd like the slimy mushrooms chopped smaller, and apparently the soup was "missing something"...but he couldn't identify what that something was. He forgot to add hot sauce and gave me an 8.0. I think that's just what Conlan always gives me.
Josephine: "Fine." She loves mushrooms...Just apparently not these mushrooms. Weird taste. Needed more salt. Oh, and she's "not a bean guy." 7.0! Believe me, that score was leaning considerably lower for a while, so I'll take it. Then while cleaning up the bowls, I noticed Josephine still had about an inch of soup sitting in hers waiting for the drain. This from someone known to eat four bowls. Message received.
Tam: Liked the consistency and loved the mushrooms! She wanted a little more salt and gave it a 9.5, noting it would've been a 10.0 with the SpudBowl™. I'm noticing a trend here.
Adam: "Decent." Liked the consistency and said the soup had a good "pull." Huh? Pull? Naturally, we questioned him. According to Adam, the "pull of the soup" is the movement from spooning the soup out of the bowl and into your mouth. Okay then. He loved the miso cashews but thought the soup itself was a little bland. 8.5 from Adam. Thanks!
Marketing Mike: No show. Prior engagement.
Soup Club Average: 8.5 Well...Nobody said saving Soup Club was going to be easy.
Campbell's Crew™:
Felton: "8.7 or 8.8." Missing meat. But then admitted he had absolutely no idea what kind of meat he'd actually put in this soup. Fair enough.
Marco: Likes the consistency. Doesn't like mushrooms, but apparently he's trying to. Thought the potatoes were cut too big. But overall? "Pretty good." 8.0, but would've been a 9.0 with the SpudBowl™. There's that SpudBowl™ again...
Hunter: Loved the cashews. Said the soup was “amazing.” Doesn't like mushrooms. 9.0. I'm starting to wonder if anyone around here actually likes mushrooms.
Andy: Yep. Andy is officially in the Campbell's Crew™ now. Somehow this reminds me of the end of Goodfellas. Andy ate and ran, then later sent me a text: "8.7 very good." I'll take it.
Campbell's Crew™ Average: 8.625
Nutrition-wise, this one landed exactly where I wanted it. Per 15 oz serving:
Calories: ~295
Total Fat: ~5 g
Saturated Fat: ~1 g
Carbohydrates: ~52 g
Dietary Fiber: ~12–13 g
Total Sugars: ~12 g
Protein: ~15 g
Sodium: ~450 mg
Was it our highest-scoring soup ever? Nope. Did everybody love every mushroom? Definitely nope. Did anyone need heavy cream, butter, a cup of oil, or a pile of cheese to make lunch? Nope.
And we still had a nice meeting with the usual meaningless—but awesome—banter. So maybe this was the reset we needed. At least nobody walked out. Nobody threw anything. Well...Nathan quit, but technically I think that happened before we ate.
We're now spit balling—some might call it triaging—the idea of bringing Hunter out of Soup Club retirement as our official SpudBowl™ Maker.
And we all really enjoy Marco's company and feedback, so we need to figure that situation out too. We just need to somehow unstick his thought process from pork belly and start nudging it toward lentils…Baby steps.
Next week we've got a switcheroo. Tam is taking Kevin's spot, and apparently Tam and Hunter are coordinating something that may or may not involve the SpudBowl™.
So where does that leave Soup Club? Healthy soup is back. The SpudBowl™ is lurking. Nathan quit. Andy is eating with Campbell's Crew. Hunter might be coming out of retirement. And Marco still wants pork belly.
Yep…Soup Club is saved…Maybe.
