The Cup-a-Soup, produced by Bachelors (the company, not the social group), is, alongside the Pot Noodle and of course, toast, a quintessentially studenty food. And it's probably eaten by bachelors, too. In fact, for anyone with no time, no cooking skills, and low expectations, it is perfect. It can even be cooked whilst totally drunk, although care is needed with the boiling water then. You can buy it almost anywhere, from proper supermarkets to cornershops and newsagents.
Let us examine the reasons why:
- It is cheap. At £1.20 for a box containing four soup sachets, it is far cheaper than eating in the cafeteria or (God forbid) eating out.
- It is filling. For a food that comes in a sachet to which you add water, there is a surprising amount of bulk due to the presence of usually both croutons and noodles as well as vegetables. This applies doubly if you take the precaution of having a slice of bread on hand to dip in your soup. The only problem is that there is perhaps too much in the soup for it to be truly drinkable. So much so, in fact, that you will probably need a spoon.
- It is reasonably healthy. It has vegetables in it, anyway, which is more than most of the food I've ever prepared has. I think they're quite low fat too.
- It is cheap. Really, this is important to students.
- It very easy to prepare. Just add boiling water. That really is it. The nice people at Bachelors have even provided diagrams in case you can't remember which one the kettle is. Handy for the hung-over.
- It actually looks quite nice. Contrast this with the mis-shapen strange-coloured masses produced by school canteens and you will see.
- It actually tastes like what it claims to be. Most packet soups taste like washing up water.
- It is cheap.
I haven't actually ever eaten one of these because I am a masochist and enjoy school food, but this is what people tell me.