Soup is the ideal comfort food, but can’t be enjoyed by all
Soup. People do not think about the significance of this universal comfort food, but it means a lot to some people.
“Soup is a comforting thing for me and used to be an easy meal,” vegetarian Maya Foxall, 20, said. “With the foods and soups my mom made growing up, it reminds me of home (and an easier time to eat food).
When I was young my mother would make me homemade chicken noodle soup when I was sick, and my grandmother had a little box filled with passed down family recipes. She would make different ones at our family functions. Her white chicken chili was a signature at Fall events, and something everyone looked forward to. Soup does not seem like any special, but it has been a constant factor in many lives including my own.
“Soup reminds me of my nana so it’s very homey to me, I don’t eat it often but when I do, I enjoy it,” vegetarian April Guevara, 19, said.
The women in my family took something simple and made into something special, but it has been a challenge to keep up this appreciation with the lack of options out there. My first year at ASU I transitioned into being a vegan. I have not had a lot of soup since, because the options are so limited.
I have not really been interested in soup during my four years of college because most of them are reliant on meat-broths. I ate meat my entire childhood and I did not realize how much of the food I ate had meat, or some meat-based products, in them. It now makes eating foods I previously enjoyed, including soup, unavailable or difficult to make vegan.
“I find it difficult to find soups I can eat because even vegetable soup might have chicken or beef stock in it,” vegetarian Heather Heinrich, 22, said. “Soups like French Onion pretty much always have beef stock in it. Another challenge is getting creative with nutritious recipes. Soup to me is a cheaper, easy, nutritious, and a comforting meal.”
Eating out and grocery shopping can be a struggle for soup lovers with dietary restrictions.
“Eating in has actually proved to be a challenge when making food,” Foxall said. “I learned how make a lot of non-vegetarian foods growing up and it is hard to maintain a balanced diet and eat a vegetarian diet as bread, potatoes and pasta tend to be easier to make.”
It’s hard being vegan myself and finding soup I can eat and enjoy. I think curling up in my bed on cold days with a nice bowl of black bean soup is pure bliss, but I wish I had some more options.
