29 April 2007

Chicken Soup


I made some chicken soup a couple of days ago. Ratting around through my freezer...no, not after toads...I came across two chicken carcasses I had frozen just for that very reason. They had heaps of meat on and by the time I threw in a little soup mix, all the chopped vegetables I could find, salt and cracked pepper plus, as an afterthought, a can of diced tomatoes, I had a huge pot of soup.

Jane came over and she told me her father, Ken, had a really bad cold and she wanted to know if I had any lemons. No. However, I said I would take him some chicken soup. So the next day (I had made the soup in the evening and it was too hot to handle that night), I took Ken a large container of soup. By then, I was starting to get a sore throat and feeling a bit "heady", too. I stayed and had a cup of coffee with Ken and commiserated with him over his cold, then went home, had some soup for lunch, had a nana nap and woke feeling marginally better. By the next day I was fine and Ken was also a lot better.

Okay, maybe I wasn't going to get any worse than I was and Ken was probably over the worst of his cold and would have been feeling better anyway, but I still think the chicken soup had a lot to do with it. After all, chicken soup is very well known for its healthful properties, so much so that books have been written about it (Canfield & Hansen's Chicken Soup for the Soul books).

Where did this knowledge come from? It's been around for yonks and if anyone's ailing, homemade chicken soup is very beneficial. Who cares where it came from? It works. I don't know where I got it from, it seems as if I have always known this about chicken soup. Whatever, can you think of anything nicer when you're bunged up with a cold or have the shivers and shakes of the flu? I can't...unless it's an open log fire...that's a pretty close second. But the two combined...that's heaven and soooo comforting.

So...homemade chicken soup - good for what ails you and unlike a lot of things that are deemed to be good for you, it tastes delicious.

7 comments:

Peter said...

You sound like a Jewish Mother there Robyn... their favourite remedy.
BTW check number 03 on the list of movies.

Meow (aka Connie) said...

Yummy, Chicken Soup !!
I'm about to make a huge pot of Potato, Leek & Bacon soup (with Chicken Stock as it's base). Mmmm, can't wait ... better head off and do it !!
Take care, Meow

rel said...

Robyn,
Ahhhhhh, chicken soup...nothing better!
rel

Gattina said...

Chicken soup indeed seems to be the worldwide remedy for colds, lol ! and yours was surely a little better and special. I believe you haven't told the truth and you put a little piece of toad in too ! Toads healed already people in the middle age ! Besides a black cat a witch also housed a toad. When I read all the comments you got, you should do a resume and post it ! lol ! What was Oscar's catch of the day ?
Arthur must have been hit or something he gnarls when he moves his hind leg and lays on the bed. I even had to serve him breakfast in my bed. Tomorrow I have to take him to the vet. Hope it's nothing serious.

Jellyhead said...

What a cosy, comforting post!

You know, many of those so-called 'old wives tales' and home remedies have a scientific basis...there must be something good in chicken soup, too!

Carole Burant said...

Next time I have a cold, can you please come deliver some of your chicken soup?? :-) I agree with you, there is nothing quite like a comforting bowl of chicken soup when you're not feeling well. A lot of people think it's an old wives tale but I don't believe that...it DOES help! xox

Oscar the Puppy Cat said...

I'm very glad that both, you and Ken, are feeling better. I love homemade chicken soup. You make yours just the way I do. It does seem to be a comfort and a remedy when we're sick.