Laughter with a side of Soup

Soup…Stew…Broth…You drink it…You eat it with a spoon. Me personally, I’m not a big fan of soup, especially tomato — yuck. I’ve crafted an art of avoiding it like the plague at my house. I always ask the annoying “What’s for dinner?” question and when my parents respond, “We are having stew,” which usually is of the venison variety. I roll my eyes and jet out of there at top speed. “Bye, gotta go, see ya later fam love ya,” and I am out the door and on my way to dinner with somewhere far from the soup option.

However, if I did have to choose what my favorite soup is I would have to pick Panera Bread broccoli and cheddar. Being almost 3,000 miles away from home makes being home special and you learn to cherish the time you have with your family even if you really aren’t doing anything. Every time I fly back to New York my mom and I plan a day just for ourselves, or sometimes my grandma tags along, and we make the 45 –minute drive to our closest mall jamming out to the radio the whole way. We spend the day shopping or catching a new movie, but we always end our trip with lunch or dinner at Panera. It’s our thing, our tradition, it’s just what we do. We each order a half sandwich and a cup of broccoli and cheddar soup with a baguette, and sometimes a cookie. After, we make the 45 — minute drive back home and relax for the night. Being so far away from home for 9 months out of the year and home for three makes the time you spend together with your family, or friends, that much more special. Especially as I have gotten older, it makes me cherish the time spent in my hometown different than when I was younger.

I might not care for soup very much, but there is something about broccoli and cheddar, only from Panera Bread though, that I like. Is it the soup itself? Maybe it is part of it. Is it the time spent with my mom that makes me enjoy it? Probably. She’s my best friend, always will be. Cherish the small moments.