New Yorkers are too busy for casual hangouts these days. So they’re sending their love with bowls of soup instead.
The reality in New York City is that life is busy and people are spread thin and across boroughs, with subway commutes and packed schedules keeping them from visiting each other as much as they may like.
Still, that doesn’t have to mean giving up on relationships entirely. You may be racing between errands and across subway stations, but you can still send your love from the other side of town. That’s exactly what’s happening with the growing trend in the city: New Yorkers are sending soup to the people they care about, with a promise to get together soon.
It’s relatively easy for you, and it’s a very real bit of warmth for them, a reminder that they matter to you, even when you can’t be there to say it in person.
It’s All About Timing
Life doesn’t slow down and stop the train so you can get off when you’ve got too much going on. It just doesn’t. Between work, family and the commuting that comes in between, you might think it’s impossible to connect with everyone in your life. And yet… time moves forward.. Before you know it, it’s been weeks since you’ve seen your best friend. You’re lucky you see your immediate family members.
Comfort food delivery is a way to close that gap. It’s a hearty way to say, “I know I haven’t been by, but I love you, and I wanted you to have something warm and cozy from me.” When you do it right, your loved one may even pick up on the trend and send soup to someone else, or right back to you, on another day. It’s not the “second-best” way to be with someone. It’s just a new way to show you care when you can’t show up in person.
Why Soup?
Delivery trends have existed throughout history, going back hundreds of years. Flowers were a common gift for centuries, and candy came along to join them. Cookies and cakes can be fun, too. But there’s something about soup that feels old and new, nostalgic and fresh. It offers reminders of childhood, of home, or being nurtured, and it travels well and is easy to heat up and eat, tossing the containers in the trash in the end.
Soup is also a practical gift, where flowers and candy might feel either romantic or frivolous. Soup transcends both of those presumptions and arrives with healthy ingredients and an inherent message of genuine care. It can be a symbol of recovery or of soothing and sympathy. Really, it can be whatever you want it to be, for whoever might need the gesture right now.
A Language of Its Own
Where flowers and candy have long sent the message of “I love you,” or “I’m thinking of you,” soup carries a language of its own. This language is more amorphous, changing with the sender and the recipient. It also changes with the occasion. It can say, “Get well soon,” or “Congrats on the new baby!” Because it doesn’t have any real connotations beyond care, it can speak to your friend, family member, or even a coworker, based on what you want to express.
Also, because soup is so easy to heat and eat, it can be sent any time. You don’t have to organize schedules or line up dates. You simply choose the soup, choose the delivery, and include a note that says, “Enjoy this soup on me, on your own time.” New parents may chow down on some chicken noodle at 2 am after a feeding. A friend recovering from surgery may want tomato bisque for breakfast. And they’ll think of you when they’ve got their spoon in hand.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Here’s how soup delivery can work in the modern age in New York City: you live in Brooklyn, but your friend works in Manhattan, and they can’t get away from their desk. You know they’re exhausted, because they’ve told you, and they’ve been eating out of the vending machine. No further explanation needed. You order soup to their desk, and they smile when they see your note: “Eat something healthy!”
Maybe you’re the one slammed at work, and your coworker is out recovering from surgery. You can’t make it to the hospital, but they’re coming home in a few days, and you can order beef stew to be delivered to their apartment. You include a message that says, “No more hospital food! Yay! Get well and get back to your desk! Haha.” These gestures read as more thoughtful than just a quick text, but they’re less demanding than a full-on visit. The happy medium.
If you’re not sure where to order your soup from, check out Spoonful of Comfort’s soup collection as an example of what people are turning to.
Why It’s Here to Stay
The soup trend is unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon. It’s not just a pandemic-era holdover at this point. It’s a sign of how people are truly living and connecting these days, because life probably isn’t going to slow down in the coming years, especially not in New York City.
Soup delivery is also a reflection of how people can show they care about each other even when they can’t commit to a chunk of time to be together. Love and support don’t have to be all or nothing. They can also be a hot bowl of broccoli cheddar with some bread rolls on the side.
Delivering comfort is so much more than just not showing up; it’s what people do when showing up just isn’t possible.