Soup Season Has Become A Year-Round Vibe

When 2 Chainz dropped "It's a Vibe" in 2017 to critical success, he definitely wasn't talking about soup, but maybe he should have been. At least George Costanza figured it out as early as 1995, and people have been "shifting into soup mode" ever since — and in recent years, this "Seinfeld" moment has gone on to become a wildly popular meme.

When the winter cold creeps in, you can indeed feel the soup craze return. People in cold-weather cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston have their very own soup cultures and trends. You might go for chicken orzo and minestrone, then be in the mood for ramen, then pho... Now, goat birria is having its moment in the limelight. What will be next? Maybe 2 Chainz will rap about it. Everywhere you look online, people are cozying up to the warming, brothy blanket of a hot soup. Even celebrities are embracing this comforting trend: It wasn't too long ago that Reese Witherspoon shared her recipe for no-fuss slow cooker lentil soup on Instagram.

But soup isn't just for when frigid temperatures hit. A steaming bowl's embrace has become a go-to comfort for tough times and minor inconveniences alike. When your work/life balance is off, a well-made hearty soup that will fill your bowl with goodness can serve as a small respite during a long day of remote work. An escape from the slog of Zoom meetings and IRL gatherings alike. Soup is a momentary getaway in a bowl.

This isn't a new conceit. Different soups work in different seasons (yes, even hot ones). Cold soups have been a part of various cultural cuisines for hundreds if not thousands of years. From gazpacho to borscht to cold yogurt soup to tsukemen, chilled soups are great for summer but are often also sipped year-round because they can provide the comfort of nostalgia and one's own cultural upbringing. They can also transport you and help explore a new culture.

While we can't all have our soup orders down like George Costanza, soup mode is a real thing and it's here to stay, so find a way to enter that cozy, tranquil space, and figure out what soup will get you there. Southern Living has made it easy for us and outlined the best soup to make every month.

While the cold fronts and ice storms keep coming in, it's not too late to try some lentil dahl. We're particularly looking forward to clam chowder in a month or so to fend off the April showers. And, of course, nothing beats butternut squash in the fall, when it's also an opportune time for your yearly viewing of "You've Got Mail."