karen_perry38•23d agoProlific Poster

My neighbor called my lentil soup 'depressing' and it got me heated

I was bringing a pot over to her place because she's been sick, and she took one look at it and said, 'Oh, more of your brown mush, Karen?' She said it with a laugh but it stung. She went on about how eating on a tight budget means you just give up on food being good. I make that soup with carrots, celery, and a ham bone I got for a dollar from the butcher, and it feeds us for three days. It's not 'mush,' it's how my grandma cooked. That comment sat with me all week. It made me realize some people think cheap food has to be sad and boring, but it's really about being smart and using what you have. My soup costs maybe eight dollars total and tastes like home. Has anyone else had someone totally not get why you cook the way you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.robin22d ago

You said she connects low cost with low quality. Has she ever actually tried your food?

lucaslee23d ago

Totally get why that would sting, that was a pretty rude thing for her to say. I mean, calling it "brown mush" is just dismissive of the effort you put in. It sounds like she's connecting low cost with low quality, which is just wrong. A good soup built from scraps and bones is the opposite of giving up, it's like the core of real cooking. Maybe she just doesn't know how to make food taste good without spending a lot, so she projects that. Your soup sounds amazing and her comment says more about her limited view than your cooking.

the_wesley15d ago

My buddy made this incredible stew from leftover roast chicken and veggie scraps, simmered it for hours. His cousin came over, took one look and called it "dog food." He just smiled, handed her a bowl. She finished it and asked for the recipe. Sometimes people just don't get it until they taste it.