The Talk of the Town JANUARY 23, 1989 ISSUE
\nSlave
\nBY ALEX PRUD’HOMME
\nCREDIT PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS NILSSON
\nWhen Albert Yeganeh says \u201cSoup is my lifeblood,\u201d he means it. And when he says \u201cI am extremely hard to please,\u201d he means that, too. Working like a demon alchemist in a tiny storefront kitchen at 259-A West Fifty-fifth Street, Mr. Yeganeh creates anywhere from eight to seventeen soups every weekday. His concoctions are so popular that a wait of half an hour at the lunchtime peak is not uncommon, although there are strict rules for conduct in line. But more on that later.
\n\u201cI am psychologically kind of a health freak,\u201d Mr. Yeganeh said the other day, in a lisping staccato of Armenian origin. \u201cAnd I know that soup is the greatest meal in the world. It\u2019s very good for your digestive system. And I use only the best, the freshest ingredients. I am a perfectionist. When I make a clam soup, I use three different kinds of clams. Every other place uses canned clams. I\u2019m called crazy. I am not crazy. People don\u2019t realize why I get so upset. It\u2019s because if the soup is not perfect and I\u2019m still selling it, it\u2019s a torture. It\u2019s my soup, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m so upset. First you clean and then you cook. I don\u2019t believe that ninety-nine per cent of the restaurants in New York know how to clean a tomato. I tell my crew to wash the parsley eight times. If they wash it five or six times, I scare them. I tell them they\u2019ll go to jail if there is sand in the parsley. One time, I found a mushroom on the floor, and I fired the guy who left it there.\u201d He spread his arms, and added, \u201cThis place is the only one like it in . . . in . . . the whole earth! One day, I hope to learn something from the other places, but so far I haven\u2019t. For example, the other day I went to a very fancy restaurant and had borscht. I had to send it back. It was junk. I could see all the chemicals in it. I never use chemicals. Last weekend, I had lobster bisque in Brooklyn, a very well-known place. It was junk. When I make a lobster bisque, I use a whole lobster. You know, I never advertise. I don\u2019t have to. All the big-shot chefs and the kings of the hotels come here to see what I\u2019m doing.\u201d
\nAs you approach Mr. Yeganeh\u2019s Soup Kitchen International from a distance, the first thing you notice about it is the awning, which proclaims \u201cHOMEMADE HOT, COLD, DIET SOUPS.\u201d The second thing you notice is an aroma so delicious that it makes you want to take a bite out of the air. The third thing you notice, in front of the kitchen, is an electric signboard that flashes, say, \u201cToday\u2019s Soups . . . Chicken Vegetable . . . Mexican Beef Chili . . . Cream of Watercress . . . Italian Sausage . . . Clam Bisque . . . Beef Barley . . . Due to Cold Weather . . . For Most Efficient and Fastest Service the Line Must . . . Be Kept Moving . . . Please . . . Have Your Money . . . Ready . . . Pick the Soup of Your Choice . . . Move to Your Extreme . . . Left After Ordering. \u201d
\n\u201cI am not prejudiced against color or religion,\u201d Mr. Yeganeh told us, and he jabbed an index finger at the flashing sign. \u201cWhoever follows that I treat very well. My regular customers don\u2019t say anything. They are very intelligent and well educated. They know I\u2019m just trying to move the line. The New York cop is very smart\u2014he sees everything but says nothing. But the young girl who wants to stop and tell you how nice you look and hold everyone up\u2014yah!\u201d He made a guillotining motion with his hand. \u201cI tell you, I hate to work with the public. They treat me like a slave. My philosophy is: The customer is always wrong and I\u2019m always right. I raised my prices to try to get rid of some of these people, but it didn\u2019t work.\u201d
\nFor the rest of the story, and a photo, please visit …
\nhttps:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/1989\/01\/23\/albert-yeganeh-the-real-soup-nazi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Talk of the Town JANUARY 23, 1989 ISSUE Slave BY ALEX PRUD’HOMME CREDIT PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS NILSSON When Albert Yeganeh says \u201cSoup is my lifeblood,\u201d he means it. And when he says \u201cI am extremely hard to please,\u201d he means that, too. Working like a demon alchemist in a tiny storefront kitchen at 259-A…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[67],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n