I'm souper, thanks for askin'!

So once again with the segueing...

As mentioned at the end of the previous post, one of the strongest arguments one can make in favor of multiculturalism is simply that it tastes better. Food culture is often the last aspect of any immigrant's culture to wain, holding out longer than language or even religion, and as such serves as the unnamed diplomat of many a cultural minority. Good food breaks down barriers faster than bulldozers, I mean hell, even your most hardcore goosestepping skinhead idjit can't stop his mouth from watering in the presence of a really good kebab.

Which leads me to today's idea.

A few years ago, as more and more "ethnic" restaurants started springing up around Rvk, I began to ponder the question of "what one type of food unites humanity?".

'Course, as a Westerner, the first thing to spring to mind was the ol' staff of life, bread.

But that doesn't hold water, because most of Asia doesn't subsist on bread, neither does much of South America. So that's right out.

All the other starchy foods don't work, too much variety, everything from potatoes, rice, barley, wheat, corn, palm hearts, cassava, plantains...

See what I mean?

Eventually it hit me though, as I settled into a steaming bowl of Pho at a wonderful little eatery downtown.

Soup is the universal food. Well, soup/stew is the universal food. But really, the difference is only in the volume of liquid, so let's call it soup.

I mean think about it, nearly every culture, or geographic area can almost be defined by its traditional soup.

Think about, you've got Icelandic "meat soup" (a mutton stew), clam chowder in New England, mulligan stew in Ireland, bouillabaisse and onion soup in France, miso in Japan, menudo in Mexico, chile con carne in Texas, Navajo stew in New Mexico, gumbo in Louisiana, minestrone in Italy, borscht in most Slavic countries, ox-tail or won-ton soup in China, hell even desert cultures make soup .

Now, I love soup, be it something "exotic" like Looz Shorba or something as ubiquitous as Jewish penicillin (otherwise known as chicken noodle soup).

Which stirred up my bubbling imagination until out came the steamy goodness of an idea for a restaurant, which would feature a rotating menu of world soups, breads, and salads, owned and operated as a co-op, and making a point of offering working scholarships/internships to exchange students (so long as they're willing to share soup recipes).

Such an establishment could offer relatively inexpensive food (as soup is mostly water, milk, etc) which would be a boon to the Rvk food scene, as well as serving as a center for inter-cultural exchange.

I wanted to call it "The World Headquarters for the International Republic of Soup".

'Cause eateries with really long names make me laugh.

Silly idea, I know.

But no more silly than a Robin Hood themed pizza place....