Observations concerning the serving of soup

It is not intended here to refute the arguments of certain gourmets who have for many years mounted a crusade against soups and wish this course to be abolished. The subject could be of interest but our professional standing will not allow us to lend ourselves to it.

We refer ourselves simply to the authority of Grimod de la Reynière who pronounced a veritable aphorism in speaking on this subject: ‘The soup is to a meal as the doorway is to a monument or a building; that is to say that not only is it the first part of the meal but it also combines to give a true idea of the meal, rather as the overture to an opera announces the subject of the work.’