An Exaltation of Soups (65 page)

Louis Simpson: “A Story About Chicken Soup” by Louis Simpson. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Henry Taylor: “Canticle of Created Things” by Francis of Assisi, translated by Henry Taylor, from
An Afternoon of Pocket Billiards
by Henry Taylor. Copyright © 1972 by Henry Taylor. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Thy Tran: Excerpt from “Fish Sauce” by Thy Tran, from the
Washington Post
(January 29, 2003, F01). Reprinted by permission of the author.

University of California Press: “Ode to Conger Chowder” from
Selected Odes of Pablo Neruda
, translated/edited by Peden, Margaret Sayers, one ode, English translation of Conger Chowder. Copyright © 1990 by Regents of the University of California, © Fundación Pablo Neruda. Reprinted by permission of the Regents of the University of California and the University of California Press.

University of Minnesota Press: Slightly adapted version of “Recipe for Meatball and Dumpling Soup” from
Scandinavian Feasts: Celebrating Traditions Throughout the Year
by Beatrice Ojakangas. Copyright © 1992 by Beatrice Ojakangas. (University of Minnesota Press, 2001). Reprinted by permission of the University of Minnesota Press.

University of Texas Press: “Death Is Sitting at the Foot of My Bed” by Óscar Hahn, translated by Sandy McKinney, and “Provincial Sundays” by Ramón López Velarde, translated by Julian Manriquez, from
Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology
, edited by Stephen Tapscott. Copyright © 1996. Reprinted by permission of the University of Texas Press.

Tobias Yarmolinsky: “Spring” by Pyotr Vyazemsky from
Two Centuries of Russian Verse
, edited by Avrahm Yarmolinsky and translated by Babette Deutsch. Copyright © 1949 by Random House. Reprinted by permission of Tobias Yarmolinksy.

Behind every book stand many hands, eyes, and, in this case, mouths. Thanks to Dave Bloom, who put me up to it. Thanks to my long-suffering children, Meg and Bill, who ate many bowls of soup along the way and lived to tell about it. Thanks to Art Meyer and Rita Rosenkranz, who saw a book in my website. Thanks to Nancy Manuszak, friend, editor, and cheerleader
extraordinaire.
And thanks to my editor, Carrie Thornton, and designer Lauren Dong, who shaped the final book with intelligence and grace.

CONVERSION CHART
EQUIVALENT IMPERIAL AND METRIC MEASUREMENTS

American cooks use standard containers, the 8-ounce cup and a tablespoon that takes exactly 16 level fillings to fill that cup level. Measuring by cup makes it very difficult to give weight equivalents, as a cup of densely packed butter will weigh considerably more than a cup of flour. The easiest way therefore to deal with cup measurements in recipes is to take the amount by volume rather than by weight. Thus the equation reads:

In the States, butter is often measured in sticks. One stick is the equivalent of 8 tablespoons. One tablespoon of butter is therefore the equivalent to ½ ounce/15 grams.

Any broiling recipes can be used with the grill of the oven, but beware of high-temperature grills.

all-purpose flour—plain flour

baking sheet—oven tray

buttermilk—ordinary milk

cheesecloth—muslin

coarse salt—kitchen salt

cornstarch—cornflour

eggplant—aubergine

granulated sugar—caster sugar

half and half—12% fat milk

heavy cream—double cream

light cream—single cream

lima beans—broad beans

parchment paper—greaseproof paper

plastic wrap—cling film

scallion—spring onion

shortening—white fat

unbleached flour—strong, white flour

vanilla bean—vanilla pod

zest—rind

zucchini—courgettes or marrow