It’s hot. Really, really hot. The kind of hot when the weather forecasters warn you not to go outside during the daytime as your hair is likely to catch fire. So last week, when I was shopping at the market, I was looking for a little relief. I grabbed a few cantaloupes, tomatoes, and cucumbers, threw them in a bowl and whipped out my handy Swiss-Army immersion blender. I added a little orange zest, some fresh mint, and took a sip. Immediately my body temperature dropped. A cool breeze came over me. Then a waterfall appeared and I began to frolic, as one does in a waterfall. The sweetness of the cantaloupe blended perfectly with the gentle acidity of the fresh tomatoes. The mint – oh the mint! My friend saw me frolicking in my personal waterfall and demanded a sip. Soon the entire market was dancing in a sea of fresh falling water while I continued to puree more and more soup for everyone. Eventually we went through all the melon and tomatoes at the market and the waterfalls went away, and it got hot again. That was frustrating. Serving tip -wear a bathing suit when eating this soup…

My great aunt, Manush, came to this country from Armenia in 1915. When entering the country at Ellis Island, she encountered some trouble with the immigration officials. She spoke no English, and things were getting heated. Finally, she somehow convinced them to let her make them some soup. I know, random. Just go with it. They went into the Ellis Island kitchen. Thankfully, one of the guards had brought in some items from his CSA delivery – zucchini, potatoes, onions, and cilantro. She grabbed a few other items and whipped together this soup. Thankfully, she had remembered to bring her immersion blender over from Armenia, as the one they had at the kitchen was quite sub-par. She served some of them the hot version, and some of them the cold one. The immigration officials were so overwhelmed by the soup’s taste, they let her into the country, and hired her right away to be the Ellis Island chef. I don’t like to brag, but if you’ve ever heard about the legend of Manush, the Ellis Island chef – that was my great aunt. Pretty cool, huh?

All his life, Bobby, the Tuscan White Bean Soup, knew there was something different about him. All his friends wanted to be hot soups. He knew he was similar to them – he was creamy and delicious. He had herbs and spices. But he had something different… he had zucchini! He had cabbage! He was a summer soup, gosh darn it. And he wanted to be served cold! Not hot! He wanted to provide people with a light, refreshing meal on a hot summer day! It finally got to be more than he could take. One afternoon, his mother, Deidre, was talking about plans for the evening. “So Bobby, we’ll heat you up at 8 and then…” Before she could finish her sentence, Bobby stood up and yelled, “NO! No, Mom! I can’t take this anymore! You will never heat me up again! I’m… I’m… COLD!! I want to be served COLD!!! Oh please don’t hate me!” Deidre paused for a moment and responded, “Bobby, with your ingredients, people will love you any temperature at all. And if you prefer, cold, well, cold it is.” Then they hugged. If only all hot and cold soups could get along as well as Deidre and Bobby. Someday….