Ellie Lakatos ’28
Staff Writer
Sneezes, coughs, and masks announce themselves across the 5Cs as we enter our peak “Claremont cold” season. When you start to feel that itch in your throat, what is better than a nice, heartwarming bowl of soup? The dining halls offer a variety of these soups, some better than others.
As a lover of homemade soups, I was a bit scared to try the soups at the dining halls, worrying that they would not match my high expectations. While nothing may compare to my mother’s absolutely delicious mushroom soup, the dining hall soups pleasantly surprised me.
For this article, I focused on the dining halls of Scripps College’s Malott Dining Hall, Pitzer College’s McConnell Bistro, and Harvey Mudd College’s Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons (the Hoch). I tried a variety of soups over a few weeks and have settled on the top soups I would want when sick, and one I would personally not recommend trying. For my fellow lactose-intolerant friends, I would suggest taking Lactaid before consuming, as most of these soups contain dairy products.
The Hoch’s Creamy Tomato Soup
Almost every dining hall has its version of the classic tomato soup, but the Hoch’s flattens the competition. As the name implies, the soup was creamy with a well-seasoned tomato flavor. The consistency varied slightly from day to day, but it is generally quite smooth. As the Hoch often served tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, the two made for a perfect combination. You simply cannot go wrong with this comforting duo; it’s the perfect meal to enjoy as the temperature cools and cold season continues.
For a non-dairy option, Malott sometimes offers a vegan tomato soup!
My Rating: 7.9/10
The Hoch’s Cream of Broccoli Soup
If I were not lactose intolerant, I would devour bowl after bowl of this soup. The contrast of the creamy base with chunks of broccoli provided a comforting aroma that was ever so slightly better than the creamy tomato soup for me. I wish this soup had stronger seasoning, but I would not complain in the slightest if this was my meal while sick. I don’t hear students talking much about this underdog of a soup, but if you like creamy soups, I would certainly recommend giving it a try. It is a great option for a ‘soup soup’ when feeling under the weather.
My rating: 8/10
No Chicken Noodle Soup?
Although this may be the classic soup everyone craves when they are sick, I could not get behind any of the three dining hall versions I tried. To be truthful, I am not the biggest chicken noodle fan in the first place. Perhaps it is my bias or the actual soups themselves, but none of the versions stood out. This is not to say that they were bad. Simple yet comforting, the chicken noodle soups I tried were pleasant. If straightforward chicken noodle soup is your favorite, then you will enjoy the dining hall chicken noodle soups. It was still endlessly better than some of the other options I tried. Otherwise, as long as you are open to other kinds of soup, I recommend the other two soups I previously discussed instead.
My rating: 6-7/10
McConnell’s Coconut Chickpea Sweet Potato
Oh boy, this soup was not my cup of tea. Individually, I love coconut, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes, and regularly incorporate these ingredients into my meals. However, when combined in this soup, I did not enjoy them. The soup had broken-apart bits of the ingredients with a sweet and thin soup base. In other words, it had a lot going on and was more sweet than savory (which I should have expected from the name, but was still surprised nonetheless). I would consider eating it again, but if I were sick and craving soup, this would not be my first choice. I doubt I would recommend it to anyone unless you are specifically looking for a sweet soup. Apologies to anyone who likes this soup; in my opinion, there are definitely better options at both McConnell and the other dining halls.
My rating: 5.5/10
Overall, while the 5C dining hall soup selection does not compare to homemade soup, there are solid choices for those coming down with a bug to enjoy. Thank you to the dining hall staff for ensuring that we even have soups to savour while sick. Stay healthy, everyone!
Photo Courtest of Elita Kutateli ’26
