Feathers, Soup

Perhaps you are tired of hearing about the notion of soup. "WHAT IS WITH ALL THE SOUP?!" says you. "Soup is not a notion," says you. "It is a food."

A food it may be. But here is the thing about soup: Between the shopping, and the chopping, and the sniffing, and the sipping, soup is hope. If soup = hope, then soup is really the thing with feathers. If you do not think you would like to eat feathery soup, perhaps you should start thinking about soup as a notion. For you like feathery notions, do you not?

I thought so.

Here is my favorite hopeful soup recipe. It comes from my friend M. Do not be cross about no measurements. I cannot measure hope:

Hopeful Soup for Rainy Days

Garlic
Chicken Stock
Coconut Milk
Lemongrass, tied with twine
Ginger, cut into medallions, wrapped in cheesecloth
Chicken
Lime
Something Sweet
Something Spicy
Straw Mushrooms
Green Onions
Rice Noodles
Cilantro

Cook minced garlic in oil. Add liquids.
Let the stock and coconut milk spend simmery time with the lemongrass and ginger.
Add spicy things, sweet things, lime juice, to taste.
Add chicken. Cook.
Add delicate things when the soup is nearly finished.
Stir with a wooden spoon.
Hope.

{Notiony feathers for hoping with, here.}