A new soup in town

Not long ago, I walked into the kitchen to find my son enjoying a bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. At some point, he must have reached up high into the pantry because there was little else to eat in the house that evening. He said the red and white can caught his eye, so he thought he would give it a try. He gazed up at me for a moment, clearly tired from the evening's  long swim practice. Then, he was back to slurping noodles like there was no tomorrow. He was refilling the tank with a meal that seemed like the perfect combo of salt, fat, carbs and protein. After polishing off the last noodle in the bowl, he asked where I had discovered this new soup. A chuckle immediately came out of my mouth. I wondered if that's how Warhol fell in love with the soup. In a world that moves so fast and furious, it's hard to discover something new these days. To Peter, this soup was new, delicious and perfect by his account. Little did he realize, that Campbell's Soup is one of the oldest recipes in the US food production chain. 

Joseph Campbell produced his first condensed soup back in 1899, well before Peter's stovetop discovery. The soup that millions have enjoyed was originally named Campbell's Chicken with Noodles, introduced back in 1934. It had a modest start, but the soup didn't reach stardom until it's name was mispronounced by radio hosts "Amos and Andy". Mistakenly calling it "Chicken Noodle", it somehow catapulted the product to the top of the US market. Fast forward 90 years or so and the the rest is history as I watch my son slurp away. The kid is hooked. I can't help but think this "discovery" has happened before and just may happen again in generations to come.