I grew up in a two-income household long before it was fashionable. My father owned a truck garage in Miami, Oklahoma, and my mom was a first-grade teacher. That meant times were busy around my house, and a kid frequently was expected to fend for himself, lunch-wise.
No problem. The good folks at Campbell's Soup took care of that. A good-faith estimate is that I have eaten 3,744 cans of Campbell's Soup over the years. That's averaging about a can and a half per week. If anything, that figure is low. In fact, in my cubicle at work, I have four cans of Chunky stashed away (along with fat-free saltines, of course, more on that later) for those days when I really don't want to go out and blow ten bucks on lunch.
Making Campbell's vegetable soup (my childhood favorite, LOVED those alphabet characters!) was a snap for a seven-year-old. Just open the can, mix up a can of water, and heat until just hot enough. Mmm, mmm, good!
Campbell's Soup got its start back in 1894. A man named John Dorrance was hired by his uncle, the company president (then Anderson & Campbell Preserve Company), for a salary of $7.50 a week. While that may have been good pay for a laborer, Dorrance had a chemistry degree from MIT and a Ph.D. from the University of Gottengen in Germany. But he took the meager wages in order to work for his uncle.
It turned out to be a very good move for the Campbell's company.
Canned soup was very popular in Europe, as the younger Dorrance was aware. And it was inexpensive to manufacture. However, it was mostly water, and therefore expensive to ship. So Dorrance set to work to see about removing some of that weight. He eventually developed a technique to remove half of the water, lightening the canned soup's weight considerable, and making its preparation a simple matter of pouring the can into a pan and adding one more can of water.
Suddenly, sales of soup to Americans was feasible. And as Campbell's began marketing it, sales skyrocketed. At ten cents a can, consumers loved it. By 1922 Campbell's added the word "Soup" to their name. And hopefully, Dorrance received lots of very nice raises.
So kids of many generations grew up with the tasty stuff. By the Jet Age, parents on the go loved quick, easy lunches that their kids willingly devoured. And tons of TV and magazine advertising ensured that every cupboard in America was supplied with a generous amount of Campbell's Vegetable, Chicken Noodle, and Tomato Soups. At least ours was.
Pop artist extraordinaire Andy Warhol saw that Campbell's Soup had become a part of American culture, so he began producing paintings that incorporated it. And they, like campbell's Soup itself, were also huge sellers.
Campbell's Soup was simply something that I never got tired of. As I grew older, I learned to spice it up a bit. A little hot sauce goes a long way towards waking up subtle flavors in chicken noodle and tomato soup. And a pinch of curry powder is great in the chicken noodle variety as well.
Then there are the crackers. I'm a cracker smasher, I'm a bit abashed to say. My idea of a perfect serving of Campbell's Vegetable Beef is to heat it to near boiling, then pour it in a bowl big enough for the entire amount (or simply eat it out of the pot if I'm sitting in front of my home computer) and crush an entire sleeve of fat-free Premium Saltines into the hot mixture, then stir to form a cracker/soup colloid, of sorts.
Strange, I know, but you know what? It's mmm, mmm, good!
Comments (6)
Good topic, Ron. I have had many a can of the Chunky New England Clam Chowder. It doesn't matter what the weather outside is at the time; I eat soup often. From won ton or egg drop at Chinese restaurants to minestrone or pasta fagioli at Italian. Schlotzskys has great Wisconsin Cheese, corn chowder, and ravioli soups. Quizno's chili and Panera's french onion soup come in their bread bowls. Shoneys has their potato soup on their buffets. Bob Evans has good bean soup. And I have had many bowls of Matzo ball, chicken noodle, and alphabet soup growing up.
Posted by David S Paleg | April 30, 2008 3:35 PM
Posted on April 30, 2008 15:35
Ah, memories of going home from school each day for lunch!
(Back when no lunch was served at school, we all walked home & back)
Posted by Kenosha Mom | April 30, 2008 6:42 PM
Posted on April 30, 2008 18:42
Man – I still love Campbell’s soups Remember those old soups like Pepper Pot and Scotch Broth? They were staples at my grandparent’s house but now Campbell's condensed soups are starting to get pricey (store brands just don’t seem to taste as good.) Lately I’ve been buying Progresso soups in quantity when they go on sale for a dollar a can. Being a svelte-challenged boomer – I try to limit my carb intake and most soups need the addition of extra protein to balance it out – leftover chicken etc. so usually no saltines – especially non-fat which have a higher glycemic index as the fat in the regular variety slows the rise in blood sugar. I also noticed that non-fat saltines seem to go stale more rapidly than regular but crushed in soup who’s going to notice (I prefer toast or croutons crushed in my soup if I’m not being carb conscious) but crackers are definitely more convenient. 10 cents a can 100 years ago? I used to buy Campbell’s Tomato soup 10 for a dollar less than 30 years ago – I guess automated manufacturing kept lowering the price. Cream of Tomato is my preferred recipe – m-m great!!! Soup is a meal many nights (twice a week or more) as I don't get home until after 10 PM supporting manufacturing computers on a split shift. Just the ticket to curb the pangs and discourage agita induced dreams.
Posted by Burt | April 30, 2008 6:46 PM
Posted on April 30, 2008 18:46
Things are not so mmm, mmm good for 500 employees at a Listowel, Ontario, Canada plant.
from the Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/419451
" LISTOWEL–Employees at Campbell Soup Co. knew the news wasn't going to be good when they were told to shut down all production lines and meet with executives on the plant's floor yesterday.
Their bosses told them what had been rumoured and feared for years – the food plant would shut down within a year, taking with it some 500 jobs."
Listowel has a population of 6500 so this is going to be a major impact in that region.
Posted by BearNaked | April 30, 2008 7:19 PM
Posted on April 30, 2008 19:19
I forgot to mention - who doesn't remember Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Green Bean casserole?
3 simple ingredients:
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
1 package frozen or 2 cans of Green String Beans
1 can of Durkee's Onion Rings or potato chips crushed and spread on top.
Combine and mix soup & beans in a baking dish, spread crushed tasty, greasy, salty, crunchy substance on top and bake until hot. M-M-Good!!!
Posted by Burt | May 2, 2008 7:24 PM
Posted on May 2, 2008 19:24
And I've passed on my love of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup to my daughter, who at 8 years old, finds it a delight to eat and slurp every time. (And Ron, I was a cracker smasher too!)
My two fave raves were Tomato soup with a can of milk instead of water (for a cream of tomato version) and Vegetable soup with a can of tomato juice instead of water, for a seriously fantastic bowl of soup.
Wonderful winter memories...and I think I'm going to go have some soup now...
Posted by Janet Wendy Spiegel | May 5, 2008 6:34 PM
Posted on May 5, 2008 18:34