Japan (London Times): To slurp or not to slurp? That is the question taxing Japanese society as the young cast aside traditional etiquette in favour of Western lifestyles. Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister, slurps when he eats noodles, as do most male members of his Cabinet, but noisy eaters are a dying breed in Japan, where a vogue for eating noodles silently is taking hold.

England (Sir James Richards, early 20th century): There are three kinds of man you must never trust: a man who hunts south of the Thames, a man who has soup for lunch, and a man who waxes his moustache.

“Who is the head of a soup factory?” “Souperman” (7-year-old Marguerite)

“How do you make gold soup?” “With 22 carrots.”

“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup!” “It must have committed insecticide.”
“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup!” “Okay, I’ll bring you a fork.”
“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup!” “So what? There’s soup on your fly.”

These little gems are from Soupsong, a delightful compendium of soup recipes and lore, including Soup Jokes, Theatrical Soup, and True Soup Confessions. 

One of my favorite meals is soup, bread, cheese and wine. Hard to beat! I don’t have a favorite soup because there are too many kinds I love. Butternut squash! Tomato! Hot and sour! Kale and veggie sausage! What’s your favorite soup?