That One Soup

It wouldn't surprise you to know that I love eating. It is one of my favorite things to do. It might surprise I used to be a picky eater, though. Don't ask me why. Actually, I think it has to do with my grandma being the same kind of picky eater. Maybe it was a reflection of her behavior picked by my baby self during those early years during which I lived in that household. Perhaps it was just that I was a bit spoiled.

It could be both.

However, there was something I loved and still do. Soup. It is an amazing thing. People who dislike soup maybe didn't have enough during their childhood. Soup is an interesting phenomena. I once wrote a paper about society and soup. It is a better metaphor for how the whole social system works as having things stick out of the broth, but still being a part of it. Kind of clever is you ask me. Anyways, as everything, not all soups are made equal and not all of them are good for my taste.

There's this evil things taken out of a witch's cauldron named Mondongo. I don't have a photo of it because I dislike it a lot. It is a soup made with the lining of one of the cow's stomachs. But I think it is more accurate to say it is made with a bag of sh*t. Because that's actually what is used to make this soup. It is a disgusting thing. This bag has to be cleaned with soap before it can be put to a pot. The worst part is that the ingredients of the soup are cool. At grandma's, she used to put beans and plantain in it to give it more flavor. Nevertheless, the stench of it was something I couldn't bear.

When I was a child, I was made to have some of that soup whenever they make it. Soup on Sundays was a tradition. Also, at grandma's you had to eat what was put before you. There was no escape. So I would have a strained plate of disgusting broth and some casava bread. Let's just say, it took me a long time to finish that. Fortunately, Mondongo dropped out of fashion in the house. It is also a hard thing to make. It requires a lot of preparation time. So it was discarded for the soups that are easier to make: fish, ribs, beef, beans, and others.

But I will never forget having to take some of it. I haven't tried now that I like to eat more things. However, having these bad memories of those days might not bid me a good result trying to have a sip.

It is funny how I loved vegetables, but the bane of my existence was that soup.

• Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13

• Editing 🎬: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

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