My informant was my 52 year old mom. She has always told me to eat chicken noodle soup when I have a cold. Every time I would even be remotely sick, chicken noodle soup would be fuming around the house. My intention behind this interview was to gather information about where she heard that and why that is true.

Collector: “Why have you always given me chicken noodle soup when I was sick? Does it actually work?”

Informant: “Well as I was growing up my mom would always give me chicken noodle soup when I was sick, and I know that my grandmother would always give my mom chicken noodle soup when she was sick. I think it does work, when all those fumes go up your nose and the hot liquid goes down your throat it must help something. At least it tastes good and that alone can just make you happy.”

I decided to do more research to see where this started and if it was truly good for your health. It was nearly impossible to find out where it originated from because practically every country and culture has their own recipe and way of making the soup. From Poland to Pakistan to the Unites States, the recipe changes but most cultures do drink it when ill. Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha took blood samples from volunteers and showed that the soup inhibited the movement of neutrophils, which are the most common types of white blood cells that protects the body from infection. This inability to move, makes them stronger and allows the body to fight off viruses more easily. This was very interesting to learn because I will now know why chicken soup affects me in such a positive way when I get sick.