Doug Kanter wrote:

> > I'm curious....what do you mean by "two round tastes"? I was going for
> > the textural contrast, something crunchy alongside the soup.
>
> I've never been able to explain this to anyone, other than to say that I
> visualize the shapes of various tastes and smells. Pea soup's round.
> Lemonade is edgy. So are tomatoes, usually. Sometimes I think various parts
> of a dinner should share some qualities, and sometimes not. Pea soup's got a
> pretty powerful flavor and scent. Sort of like a blanket. The scent of
> tomatoes and vinegar seems right to me alongside that soup. If you want
> crunch on the side, forget the croutons and serve toasted garlic rounds on
> the side, made from some sort of excellent bread.
>

Huh, that's interesting. See, in my perception, split pea soup is
smooth and thick, almost like a comfort food, no sharp edges. But I do
like to add a splash of vinegar right at the end; that gives it a
little sharpness and acidity.

Tomatoes I could see better alongside lentils, but somehow it doesn't
hit me as right against peas, texture and flavorwise. My mouth is
thinking crunchy, cold, a little sweet. The mozzarella would be all
wrong. The tomaotoes, okay, the idea of onions and vinegar, a little
better.

Maybe I'll slice up a few cucumbers and sweet onions into some rice
wine vinegar as a side. That would still go crisp and sharp and
crunchy.

The courtons are a must for me in split pea soup. Besides, my half a
loaf of bakery sourdough is too stale for anything else.