To stew, soup, or not.

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For years, most of my adult life actually, I stayed away from soups and stews.  At least as to cooking them myself.  I don't know about you, but if I don't cook something myself, there is a reasonable chance I won't eat it otherwise.  Then again, unless you are at a place that really does soup well, most places, and all canned soup, is terrible.

As a child I did love cambell's soup.  For a long time I thought they only made chicken noodle soup.  The one true soup my mother would make, homemade start to stop, that I truly loved, was tomato soup.  I don't know how she did it and don't currently know how to do it.  But, then, I only really loved it with crackers.  And tomatoes are high carb, or... I suspect too high... all by themselves.  My mother did make chicken noodles, but usually more as a drier meal, or over potatoes or with bread, rarely as a true soup.

As to stews?  I suppose I had those, if I wouldn't have called them that.  I would have called them more like goulashes or stroganoffs or such, when they were more fluid than might normally be thought.  I like the idea of stews, but until a recent introduction, didn't really know how to go about thickening rightly.  Heavy cream is the go to for that these days.

When I began with soups and stews, there were... problems.  The first thing, to be honest, was utensils.  A teaspoon was really too small, and I have larger ones.  Tablespoons were too large.  Yes, it was important.  If you can't quite eat a food type correctly, it is at least an annoyance... and one more reason not to make such a food.  Though, for years, while it was annoying, it was in the back of my mind.  I had to fully realize what that nagging little notion was, pull it up, figure it out, then deal with it.  I have tried several things, the one that succeeded was these utensils.  They aren't techy, they aren't fancy, they aren't even expensive.  What they are is the right tool for the job.  From thinner soups, even stock, on to hearty stews, I can finally get a proper amount of food in without feeling like I'm stretching too far or at risk of bumping into teeth... I hate steel on teeth, hate, hate, hate.

I always felt that if a few things could be handled, that I would love soup and stew.  I just, for so long, could not figure it out.  Finally, finding the right ingredients, and utensils, and learning how to do a few other things, I am enjoying these food types a good deal.  I have much yet to learn.  I have the rest of my life to learn.  I'll keep at it.

Oh, as to miso?  Since I have the powdered stock, I may try that, at the recommended strength, then play with that until I have it to my tastes, and finally learn how to make it with the bonito chips and the rest.  Why?  Well?  Because I can.  Because it is a desire.  Because it is good to learn and act on that learning.  Contemplating what might be good to eat does not a hungry belly fill.

Later.