The Last Soupper

The largest ever turn out for the Last Soupper - a delicious potato, coconut cream, and sesame soup devised and executed by Sam. Sri concocted a 'Desert Soup' which featured rhubarb, marscapone and mint. The eve was finished off with a flourless chocolate cake made by Mel in honour of Adam's birthday. The conversation once again turned to sprog, making me think it's a good thing we're back on solids for the summer.. it then turned to the kindness and generosity of Sam amd Mel over the last six months. Thankyou.

penultimate soup 20/11/06

so we ate 31-tomato-soup and talked about whether it's really necessary to shampoo one's hair and how like or unlike yoghurt semen is.

attendees:
julie, jake, pam, josh, elena, dianne, jo, adam, luke, claire, maika, monkey, sam

and kuba made a virtual appearance by telephone.

Sam's Waldorf Soup

A lovely creation by Sam, dreamt up on a restless eve, and complimentary to the run up to Summer.
Attendees: Mel, Sam, Steph, Adam, Luke, Sri, Anthea, Michaela, Baby Dave, Julie

mel's asparagus and rice soup 06/11/06

Attendees: Adam, Dianne, Katy, Kuba, Bruno, Julie, Ralston, Puja, Big Dave, Steph, Sam, Mel.
Enrique made a brief early appearance (and set the table), and that Lukey made a late one.

Conversation: the sex lives of turtles on the galapagos islands, the domestic lives of parents, and the making of green gloop for TV shows. There was some heated debate late in the piece too about the definition of flirting, and whether luke does a lot of it, or a really huge amount of it.

Sam's Laksa 30/10/06

the soup tides are unpredictable.

last night saw only dianne and adam at the table with monkey and myself. after they'd left, lukey arrived on the doorstep for a 10pm bowl of laksa.

it was, as every soup night, unique. and very enjoyable.

as for conversation, we tossed around that hot old chestnut: "boardies or speedos ?" we also reflected on the panopticon as a metaphor for intrapsychic conflict.

by sam

rich's harissa soup 23/10/06

rich's heavenly harissa soup and sam's black sticky rice with mango.

a bunch of people celebrated the return of sam and mel and hence monday soup to belvoir st!
conversation ran wild, like sam and mel on a desert island.

Emergency Soup - Melbourne

Desperate times called for desperate measures.. though think of it as crossing borders and cultural boundries and spreading the message that is Monday soup..

I acquainted my brother and his girlfriend with idea of Monday Soup, and they acquainted me with their favourite soup. Dench's Minestrone in Melbourne.

Attendees: Steph, Lachlan, Harriet
Topics: Monday Soup, saving the world, starting Monday Soup in Melbourne.

Sam's Alphabet Soup

a
b
c
d
e
f
g
here
in
j
kuala
lumpur
malaysia
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z

Isabel's recipe spinach soup 02/10/06

Angie said she didn’t like oysters. Kevin does. Sri’s mum have them with pot, vodka and sex, Anthony does not eat any animal from the sea, Claire recommends them with cocktail sauce and Enrique could hardly follow the conversation.

We touched (again) the Celebrity Exemption Rule. The chat then derived through numerous subjects; as when Isabel caught Enrique and Claire having sex in Valencia in pre-orgasmic state, her on all fours and him with a blindfold. The homosexuality of Alan Jones (who unlikely be eligible for the CER). Vaccinations, thought by someone to be retrograde, are not, they’re cool. The migration from the Hills to the East. How Sri and Dan had to drag their stoned unconscious friend home from the neighbour’s. And, inevitably, we talked about babies. Anthony’s friend had a natural birth a week ago and then had two Panadols afterwards. Sri disagreed they must have been Neurofens.

by Enrique

Attendees - Enrique, Claire, Maika, Kevin, Angela, Sri, Anthony.

risi e bisi 25/09/06

there were too many conversations to keep track of, but there's an expression - either catalan or basque, i can't remember which - that seems fitting: "forca al canut!" it means "power to the cock!".

enrique took sam up on his offer of two bowls for anyone who comes naked, however because there were so many people to wish bon voyage to Sam and Mel on their Malaysian adventure, enrique only got one bowl anyway. cock and balls is the expression i think..

and congratulations to rich and eve, who announced their plans to wed. was quite a night..

attendees: luke, adam, baby-dave, tass, julie, enrique, claire, maika, rich, eva, michaela, dianne, steph, monkey, sam.

Mel's Ministrone 18/09/06

While Lukie was making friends and gaining inspiration in Singapore and Indonesia, we took advantage of his absence and whipped up a batch of previously forbidden soup. Maika was welcomed to her very first soup over a bowl of wheaty and dairy-topped minestrone. Steph provided dessert in the form of strawberries and truly delicious almond and honey yoghurt. Attendees: Sri, Steph, Anthony, Michaela, Claire, Enrique, Isabella, Maika, Sam, & Mel. I can't remember what we talked about.... by Mel

Baby Dave goes deep..

ARMY SARGENT 1: i know we're about to die in this ambush, but geez if we ever make it out alive and someday i have a kid and he tries out for the school footy team and you're head coach - why it would mean the world if you chose him on the team!

(loud explosion nearby)

ARMY SARGENT 2: i just don't know thompson. i mean we've served for 2 years now. i trust you like a brother. you've saved my life once.

(bullet flies by and army sarge 1 blocks it with his steel helmet)

ARMY SARGENT 2:....twice! but i just think that would be too much.

ARMY SARGENT 1 (gasping): but remember that time we ate soup together at sammy's?

ARMY SARGENT 2: yeah.

ARMY SARGENT 1: we're soupees o'neil! goddam it if not for the millitary bonds and years of friendship then f*cking jesus you better do it for the soup. it's the least a soupee would do for another soupee!

(several more explosions)

ARMY SARGENT 1(choking up): you're right. you're so right. i just remember that warm fresh tumeric soup and i think about samantha and the boys and i just want to live to get back there.

(close gun fire)

ARMY SARGENT 2: i hear ya soupee. i know what you're sayin so strong it hurts me under the ribs. now hand me that grenade.

ARMY SARGENT 1: i can't feel my fingers thompson.

ARMY SARGENT 2: it's okay o'neil. it's okay.

and then there were 5

representation of luke's new hair. there've been some lean times for soup-night these past couple of weeks. a test of faith. last night saw another small, if high quality, crowd: anthony, luke, adam, monkey and sam.over chickpea and tomato soup, anthony told us about his new bike, luke about his imminent trip to singapore, adam about medical problems among the elderly, and monkey about the erosion of morality in the public health system. we made an impromptu tour of luke and adam's new pad (located about 40 metres from our back fence), and i gave luke a haircut. he looks dashing, even more so than before.
by sam.

A misadventure in soup by Sam

i came home after work on monday to find that the lima bean soup i had lovingly prepared on sunday and left on the stovetop overnight had fermented.
so, i quickly banged together a mulligatawny.
after a spate of last-minute cancellations, ralston, jo, and brenna were the only ones to join monkey and myself.
we enjoyed an intimate night together, speaking of cupid's arrows and the acupuncturist's needles, the vagaries of human relationships, fair prices for 50s dress patterns, and spain's merits as a holiday destination.
sadly, the evening was not documented, photographically speaking.

Monday Soup presents.. Maika!

she arrived close to midnight on august 26th.
a plump little sausage (4.3kg! ) who smells like cinnamon and chocolate.
Many congrats to Claire and Enrique.

28/08/06 Lentil soup & ricotta tiramisu

A hearty soup was enjoyed by all, leaving very little room for the equally delicious tiramisu, and pears with blue cheese. Many thanks to Lauren for the soup recipe.

Babies, and more babies. All rejoiced at the birth of little lady Maika, and chatted with proud parents Enrique and Claire at the hospital. And the passing of the crown as it were to young Angela who let the bun out of the oven with her news of a little one on the way.

Luke, see, it is catching.

Also talk of our mispent youths, the tragics we all were in our flannies and bad makeup, the cheap thrills we all embarked on, and the fun burns you could give each other with a lighter.. and look how well we've all turned out.

Oh and Woody Allen. And Clerks. And is chasing Amy one of the worst movies ever made?

Attendees: Angela, Barney, Diane, Anthony, Sri, Steph, Sam and Mel.

21/08/06 - Pea and Fennel Soup

Monday's pea and fennel soup was inspired by Elena, and in honour of Anthony's return from Poland (peas are big in malta). It was passing of the baton as it were for our european travellers. Anthony on return farwelling Julie on her travels to Germany. There was talk of the 3-day vodka binge that was the wedding Anthony attended. And there was also speculation about whether Rodriguez (underground folk singer) committed suicide on stage, or simply disappeared off the scene only to emerge years later as a politician.

And the arrival of the soup virgins, whom immediately were welcome to the table, as we withdrew the mandatory detention to Betty's soup kitchen legislation last week.

Six days and counting til the arrival of Pako.. the tension rising like a pumpkin pie in the oven which was unanimously enjoyed, notwithstanding its colour (which was compared to that of 70s furniture).

Attendees: julie, anthony, claire, enrique, isabella, dianne, jo, steven, duncan, barney, steph, sri, monkey, and sam.

Sam's Peanut and Sweet Potato Soup 14/08/06

A suprising soup this week that was received well by all attending.. even calls of 'best ever' were made. And as smooth as the texture, a transient soup night glided with arrrivals and departures fueling general chit chat over the eve.

Like the leftover pre-birthday cake, the stories from Fiesta Del Pako left us all with a smile on our face.

Attendees: Dianne, Jo, Enrique's mum Isabella, Julie, Anthea, Luke, Sri, Steph, Sam, and Mel.

Monday Soup Presents.. Fiesta del Pako!

Claire beats up her pinata self to release her pinata babies at Festival De Pako! Many props to Mel, Sam and Sri for making such a beautiful rendition. And many thanks to Claire and Enrique for a lovely day.

Dave's spicy tomato soup 07/08/06

michelangelo's david is a notoriously unimaginative cook, and a profound disappointment on the dancefloor. our david, on the other hand, is a whole other story. he once made a pasta dish with chicken and ice cream (no joke). his margin in the dancing department is narrower, but our man still has a distinct edge. he cooked at belvoir street on monday..

as mel recalls "i know there was some fine fashion indeed - pinafores, high waisted jeans, leopard skin and bleached hair were all on show. there was monday night outrage as to the general state of the world. dave told thetale of his 3am journey with his pot and his soup - he burnt the first version of his soup while brushing his teeth, made it again, and has since ex-communicated the cheap and nastypot from his kitchen. enrique gave us a sermon. the reading came from a book called the power of now. it urged us all to examine ourselves for lurking resentment of those around us, referring to this unspoken, unrecognised resentment as pollution. there was talk of handshakes, new jobs, salsa dance partners, ...
attendees: dianne, julie, dave, sri, josh, elena, claire, enrique, ralstan, floradelle, steph, sam and mel
and the menu included potato bread sticks and lemon delicious. yum"

the conversation turned spicy as well - a visit to hooters heated discussion with a disection of the female form from the cross section of attendees.
claire likes shoulders
sri likes boobs
julie likes hands
enrique's friend doesn't like big feet
baby dave likes "small, perky personalities"
and enrique can not believe someone would pay attention to legs while hooters were on show.

31/07/06 chickpea and tumeric soup

Fortunes were revealed and destiny discussed over a bowl of chickpea and tumeric soup with Sam, Mel, Sri, Claire, Luke, Julie, Dave and Stef. To belittle is to be little, and we should be affectionaite to those around us. But is this our destiny? Is it pre-determined, or does it change with each decision one makes?
Oh and lots of talk of babies as one would expect with an expectant mother in the room. Is it sex, spicy food, or three men and a baby that brings on labour - or a combination of the three (?!).

matt maquarie's divine orange soup - 24/07/06

\went something a little like this:
the eleven apostles - claire, enrique, luke, dianne, boris, julie, richard, eva, sri, monkey and sam feasted, as though it were their last, on a soup made orange in colour, but there were no oranges in it. there were, however, grapefruits in it - as well as lentils, carrots, and orange sweet potato. enrique made it, having swiped the recipe from claire. our first guest chef. it was very thick and a little spicy. oh, and sam burned an apple tart for dessert and people made polite remarks like, "oh, no, i like my apple tarts...ahh.... well-done".

the standout conversation.. is there a god?

enrique & sam: god is (although we define 'god' in a mystical sense, akin to buddhist annihilation).
julie: god may be, how could one know ?
sri: no god. people invoke the concept as a psychological manouevre to cope with existential anxiety.
claire: something is, but words are inadequate to describe it.
mel: (how strange - i don't know the thoughts of my own concubine on god, even after monday night. perhaps it's because she's divine, and needn't utter pedestrian opinions?).
luke: don't talk to me of god. i'm too wretched.

bloggers opinion: that whole god working in mysterious ways whenever something doesn't go to plan thing really is a bit clutching at straws..

A potted history of soup by Sam

29.05.06 carrot, tomato and sumac
05.06.06 spicy black bean and chocolate
12.06.06 yellow lentil
26.06.06 vegetable and barley (mel)
03.07.06 pumpkin and coconut
10.07.06 french vegetable and pistou (mel)
17.07.06 cauliflower (soup of love)

we tried, but couldn't produce guest lists or conversation topics for the various nights with any confidence of accuracy. much of the detail of the particular nights has blended together - much like a soup - in our minds.
no matter. we go on from here.

Enrique Del Val

I still remember my first soup. We were young, the football world cup was still to come, John and Pete were close mates, the world was a place more or less in peace.
I attended giving no notice because I wanted to annoy the hosts. Not much later, I tried it again bringing friends along to eat. I started arriving late, interrupting conversations and wearing t-shirts with pathetic slogans. Like the saucepan those originated from, the loving kindness and generosity of Sel and Mam seemed not to have limits.
From today to the day when you may have to go through slim chics in roller skates who talk to you about the latest trendy soft drink, to cross the door in Belvoire St, I would have liked to bless the Monday's dinner soups. But I've been told (and realized) that they already are.
I reckon Pako is looking forward enjoying their own bowl.

A bunch of stuff in a pot

My friends Sam and Mel have soup night every Monday. Brilliant. A bunch of people, a bunch of conversation, and a bunch of stuff thrown in a pot. With a different soup, cast and script each week, this blog attempts to archive the nights for all involved, but also look at threads and patterns of ingredients people and soup in the quest for a perfect combination if there is such a thing. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Monday night.