Pickle Soup

If you know me, you know I have food issues...I hardly eat a vegetable and I have a whole list of foods that I don't like for "no good reason" (some might say). For example, I don't eat bread. Why? BEcause, that's why. I don't eat pie, waffles or pancakes either...too bready. I also don't like "creamy stuff". Hold the mayo (it's not gonna be on my hotdog or hamburger bun anyway-just gimme some meat) and do NOT let that coleslaw touch my BBQ. I could go on and on but I won't.

I'm only trying to confess that I have known about pickle soup for a few years now but, suspecting its creaminess, I sort of dodged it for awhile...


My friend Laurie was living in Chicago and called me up a few years ago practically breathless to tell me about Pickle Soup. She had seen it in a deli, tried it and said she "thought of me with every spicy spoonful". Until that very moment, I had never heard of nor IMAGINED such a thing as Pickle Soup....yumm...spicy spoonfuls!
Well, I guess I imagined my own version of pickle soup (pickle juice in a bowl? sounds good to me!) because when I googled it two seconds later I saw a list of ingredients that made me shake my head at and think, "nope, not for ME"...

I officially kept my eyes peeled for it in New York but I'll go ahead and admit it-I never came across it myself because I tend to eat in places that serve tacos or corndogs. My friend Xan is the one who ultimately became my Pickle Soup guide. He actually found it in a couple of places but liked King's Feast, a Polish restaurant in Greenpoint, on Manhattan Avenue, the best. Not only is the soup a nice consistency he said, but it also has a nice strong, pickle-y taste. We made a date to meet and eat but I continued to drag my feet. The fear of being a pickle freak that didn't like pickle soup was bearing down on me...



I got the soup, which was officially listed as "Dilled Cucumber Soup" for $2.95. Xan got his usual Old Fashioned Meat. I was still a little hesitant when the soup came out...there were lots of shredded carrots in there but the pickle fragrance was enough to convince me to dig in and ignore the vegetables. I actually liked the potato-ness of the soup and the chunky-ness distracted me from the creamy-ness of the bowl. I took a few bites and felt the pressure leave me...I was still, and continue to be, a Pickle Freak.

I plan on taking Pickle Soup into my own hands and making my own version of it. This way I can control the creaminess, leave out the carrots and create my own "spicy spoonfuls". I will not, however, attempt to make Old Fashioned Meat at home...I'll just leave that to Old Fashioned Meat Freak, I mean Xan.

Stay Tuned

Eatin' pickles and typing at the same time is EASY. The hard part is typing and watching TV at the same time...so I've fallen a little behind on reporting all my recent pickle activity. In an effort to hold your attention against all the competing blogs out there (mostly on the right hand side of this screen...I'm talking about YOU Jack Pendarvis!) here's a little preview of all the fascinating things I've yet to write about:

My fried pickle experience in Bushwick and my first encounter with Pickle Soup in Greenpoint!
My very recent obsession with HANDY CORN by Ricks Picks and the awesome sampler pack he sent me!
Being chosen as a highlighted blog on Foodie Blog Roll (shift your gaze to the bottom of the screen) and Leftover Queen which landed me lots of new Pickle Freak pals!
Planting my very own cucumbers and dill and signing up for a Pickling Class taught by Bob McClure!

Being a Pickle Freak has been very rewarding lately and I promise that as soon as Antiques Roadshow is over I'll turn off the TV and get back to you...and I hope you'll get back to me!