I’m sure people reading this blog are thinking “Why is Mr. Bennett dedicating a whole school project to cooking soup at home?” and you would be correct in bringing forth that question. I often ask myself that, as I wonder what exact I have signed myself up to do. No matter, we push forward and persevere with our quest to create SOUPS.

I thought I would mix it up this week and dive into the “why” of soup. This idea actually spawned out of diving down a YouTube rabbit hole and ending on this video here:

I’m a sucker for a good business story and it was interesting to hear about the journey that Campbell’s soup had been on. From being an iconic piece of Warhol art to being a massive sponsor of the NFL, I don’t think anyone could predict that the brand would see such exposure. My interest had been piqued and so I went down the rabbit hole a little bit further.

I found this 13 ish minute podcast from BBC on The Social History of Soup by Tom Scott-Smith that very elegantly highlights some points throughout history and how it became a dynamic staple.

My favourite quote from the podcast: “Soup could improve efficiency, and become fuel for the human motor.” My feelings on soup exactly!

I’m playing around mostly, but I actually did find both pieces of content to be interesting. Upon reflection, I think this is precisely why inquiry projects exist: to approach an idea and dive further into it to support learning. While my topic might unconventional, I’m finding myself enjoying the process of searching for new soups to cook and then improving my cooking skills when actually making the soups. I’m sure I’ll look back on my own personal history of soups and think about how enjoyable it was to have a school project become a useful life skill.