To Margareth : Bonsoir !

Yes, we do eat soup at dinner/supper (pour le/au dîner ou le/au souper) ! The famous sentence said by generations of parents to their children is "Mange ta soupe !" (Eat your soup !)

My grandmother and mother used to make some wonderfuls soups for... winter dinners ! And I try to do the same since it's very good for our health ! I peel and wash and cook fresh vegetables and, at times, add some chicken in it or use the broth I get after cooking some "jarret de veau"/knuckle of veal... When I'm lazy or lack time, I go and buy the excellent potages, soupes, etc. sold in "Picard Surgelés" shops (they only sell frozen BUT refined dishes, vegetables, etc.) See the url below and the list of their winter "soupes"...

As to eating cold soups such as "le gaspacho"/el gazpacho, it is not very widespread yet though one can buy some excellent ones at... Picard" :-) We liked their "consommé au concombre et à la coriandre", it was really delicious this summer... (The wet and at times cold Norman weather doesn't make us feel like eating cold "potages" in autumn/fall and winter :-)

http://www.picard.fr/Content/fr/Inst...47&rubid=1

Here is the history of "le potage" which comes from the French noun "un/le pot" since it was made in "un pot" and the various nouns we use to speak about the numerous varieties of "soupes", "consommés", etc....

- "Le mot juste :

Soupe, potage, bouillon, consommé, velouté, crème… Le mot le plus juste est potage, puisque nos ancêtres cuisinaient dans le pot. Au Moyen Age, les légumes du potager enrichissent ce plat quotidien. “Potage” a pris et gardé depuis le XVIIIe siècle une connotation sophistiquée. “Soupe”, plus rustique, viendrait du néerlandais “sopen”, qui signifie “tremper”... Le
consommé, à base de bouillon (bœuf, volaille, gibier, poisson), limpide, garni et aromatisé, est un plat festif de réception. Plus riche, le velouté, onctueux, est réalisé à partir d’un consommé monté au beurre, lié au jaune d’œuf et à la crème fraîche. La bisque en constitue une variante, autour d’un crustacé. La crème est constituée de légumes en purée liés à la crème fraîche."

And here is a list of the various "potages"/"soupes"/etc. they sell in winter :

- "potage aux légumes du soleil", "carottes aux baies roses", "velouté d'asperges vertes", "velouté de champignons", "soupe à l'oignon", "légumes vermicelles", "potage minestrone", "légumes verts", "potage lyonnais", "potage brighton", "poireaux-pommes de terre", "légumes bio, "potage noix de Saint-Jacques cuisiné au vermouth", "potage petits pois chorizo cuisiné au safran, "potage mélange de légumes", "Potage tomate basilic"

Miam-miam !/Yummy ! Bye !/Au revoir ! Marie qui va aller déguster son potage :-)

Hum, since I can't edit my messages and feel frustrated, lol, I'll add that the famous "adage" was "mange ta soupe si tu veux grandir !" (eat your soup if you want to grow up !" Correct ?)

I had a delicious "potages des legumes" that was actually more of a "soupe de poitron" at Les Arcades Café near Musée Picasso last October. It was a pureed one, heavy on pumpkin, but including many other vegetables.

Here's picture showing the cheese and croutons on the side.
http://p.vtourist.com/1765933-Restaurants-Paris.jpg

Oh wow, Sally, that looks great! From your last trip to Paris, this past October?

Marie, are you on VT, too?

We had some great soups while in Paris in September and October. The weather was chilly three or four days and I remember Soupe de Poissins, vegetable and pumpkin potages that really hit the spot - and we didn't have to search.

To Beatchick : Bonsoir !

<<Marie, are you on VT, too?>>

Hum, what is "VT", please :) ?

Well, after a quick search, I found this url :

http://www.virtualtourist.com/vt/

Is this the web site/forum you're alluding to, please ?

Well, my answer shows that I didn't know VT so far :-) Cordialement. Marie

To mamc Bonsoir !

If you allowed me "de vous taquiner"/to pull your leg, I'd ask you if you had "une soupe de poissons" or "une soupe de... poussins" (poor little chicks !) Cordialement. Marie

Bonsoir, Marie. Oops - poissons for sure.

Thanks for having reassured me ;-) ! Marie

Oui, madame, Marie007 - there is a nice poster there by the name of mariev & she lives in Paris. Thought you might be her! :D

To Beatchick : Bonjour !

I see ;-)

But could I be considered as... another nice poster ;-) though I only live "en province"/in the provinces ? Marie, very anxious :-) !!!

PS : I think you called me Madame to joke... I'm just Marie and tht 007 should be 07, but the forum didn't accept it and I had to double the 0... I've nothing to do with a James Bond Girl, was just born on the seventh of July :-)

Soupe de poissons with rouille and croutons; how can you not like it?

There are so many different words for soup in France, as Marie pointed out; if you only look for soupe, you might miss them on the menu.

Absolutement, Marie! You are very nice which is why I suspected/hoped you might be her.

I am thoroughly confused now. Should I have called you mademoiselle instead? :)

<<Should I have called you mademoiselle instead?>>

Non, je suis mariée :-) ! But calling me "Madame Marie07" sounded funny ;-) !!!

Thanks for the nice words ! @ + (à plus !) Marie