With just a yellow bike, a used trailer, and a few two-quart containers of homemade gumbo, David Ansel began peddling soupto his friends and neighb...
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Jul 30, 2008
Chandra
rated it: 
I have about 30 cookbooks, and the large majority of them just sit in the shelf untouched. The mark of a great cookbook is one that has crumpled pages and food stains all over it. This is one of those. As soon as the weather cools down in Texas I bust out this soup cookbook. Don't be scared off by the title - the 'slow and difficult' bit is mostly of tongue in cheek. These soups do take a little more time and a bit more effort than opening up a can, but they really aren't particularly diffi
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Aug 17, 2011
Debbie
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This was an engaging and entertaining trip through the second year of The Soup Peddler's business. He shares his monthly pondering about what soup should be made and how to find new recipes. Ansel also introduces us to the quirky, unique and interesting characters that populate his neighborhood of Bouldin Creek in Austin, TX. He mixes with yoga teachers, baristas and holistic healers as well as participating in community events like flea markets and synchronized swimming exhibitions. In addi
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Apr 08, 2009
Sky
rated it:
I stumbled across this book while looking through the cooking section of our local library. I happen to like soups, so I naturally picked it up and flipped to the middle page. I was more than surprised to find that it wasn't so much a cookbook as it was a comedic memoir of one man's adventures in the world of soup peddling... with the occasional recipe popping up every now and then.
relaxing, funny, and extremely well written.
This book made me want to jump on a bike and start More...
relaxing, funny, and extremely well written.
This book made me want to jump on a bike and start More...
Feb 18, 2009
Robin
rated it:
Ansel's memoir-ish account of one year peddling soup in a picaresque community in Austin sometimes gets a little too picturesque, but his overall outlook is generally realistic. His writing is actually pretty great, with lots zany characters and tasty unexpected words.
I'm also terribly inexperienced (and afraid) when it comes to cooking, so maybe the best praise I can give this book is to say that it got me off my ass and in the kitchen trying out some of these soups. Which are awesome.
I'm also terribly inexperienced (and afraid) when it comes to cooking, so maybe the best praise I can give this book is to say that it got me off my ass and in the kitchen trying out some of these soups. Which are awesome.
Aug 31, 2009
Janet
rated it:
Truth or Consequences Green Chile Stew, one of the many enticing soup recipes, is book-ended by the chapters September and October. When the chapters are organized this way, you get a sense of sourcing local and seasonal ingredients. As the months and seasons change, so do the characters and the recipes. The "reveries" in the title refer to the author's observations about his neighborhood, his past and the people (and animals) who stroll in to the Soup Peddler's scene. Austinites likel
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May 26, 2010
Susan
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There are a season's worth of soup recipes (some more interesting-sounding than others) in this book, but it is less a cookbook than a memoir of sorts, about how an electrical engineer from Baltimore became the soup-person for an eccentric Austin (TX) neighborhood. The slackers, eccentrics, and dopers of Ansel's clientele help him build a business sout of home delivery (by bike!) of homemade soup.
Nov 04, 2007
Ann
rated it:
I first heard about The Soup Peddler on NPR - his story is like a feel good movie! After moving to Austin, TX to be with his girlfriend, he landed a job at Apple (computer) as a programmer - or something very corporate and cushy - and hated it. His relationship with his gal fizzled, and he thought, "There's more to life than this."
He loved Austin and didn't want to move, so thought about ways to make money doing what he loved. Making SOUP! He emailed some friends and neigh More...
He loved Austin and didn't want to move, so thought about ways to make money doing what he loved. Making SOUP! He emailed some friends and neigh More...
Aug 02, 2009
Tonyia
rated it:
Pretty funny, light read. Probably doesn't make sense if you don't know Austin very well. The recipes sound fabulous and it's cool to learn how the company started out.
Jul 30, 2011
Jodi
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I'm a huge fan of the Soup Peddler, and I was delighted to find a few of my very favorite Soup Peddler soup recipes in the book. A cute and kitschy read.
Feb 20, 2011
Scott
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I liked the narrative, but most of the soups were a little more pretentious than my tastes/culinary skills allow. I'm a still giver them a shot though.
Mar 14, 2010
Davida
rated it:
Haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but the vegetarian ones look tasty. The writing is a little obnoxious, but the concept of soup delivered by bike is a great one!
Jun 30, 2010
Judy
rated it:
Well-written, in an entertaining way, but a little precious. A fictionalized autobiography of a "soup peddler," an East-Coast Jew who ends up in Austin, Texas and stumbles into making soup for a living, delivering weekly batches to his "Soupies" (customers). Zaniness ensues. Kind of a hippie-flavored Lake Woebegon (that is *not* a compliment). Some of the recipes are interesting - I intend to try them.
Jan 18, 2008
Lauren
rated it:
Man quits tech job, moves to Austin Texas and starts a business as the "Soup Peddler." Every week he whips-up a large batch of soup, philosophizes over a breakfast coffee, and then delivers the soup to his neighbors on his bike! Part memoir, part cookbook and part history of South Austin's quirky & delightful Bouldin Creek neighborhood, this is a must-read for all Austinites and those who love soup!
Dec 17, 2009
Jen
rated it:
This is a fun read even if you don't like soup or cooking. It is the story of a man who left his job as a techie to start a home-delivery soup business in Austin, TX. There are all sorts of fun and interesting characters, including his nemesis: the ice cream man! The recipes are wonderful and interesting, so if you *do* like soup, you are doubly in luck.
Sep 02, 2008
Mistsy
rated it:
Read it for the prose. Skip it for the recipes.
The prose is tremendous. One of the most erudite and entertaining cookbooks to read.
The prose is tremendous. One of the most erudite and entertaining cookbooks to read.
Oct 22, 2007
Charmi
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I don't mind slow and difficult, but I would like to able to find all the ingredients in Indiana. Some day I'll cook from this book. Really.
Nov 09, 2007
Deb
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I enjoyed some of the recipes and the reveries were fun. I get inspired to create my own unique soups.
Oct 24, 2011
Kate
rated it:
A fun read. Contrary to what the title says, only a few of the recipes are slow and difficult.
Oct 15, 2009
Casey
rated it:
really excellent soups here. and they are not slow or difficult, but they are delicious!
Nov 13, 2011
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