Chicken noodle soup is convalescence. It is a delicious soup on its own, yet it is one of the best ways to conquer a cold. It is one of the family recipes that are held in high esteem both because of the taste and advantage when we are sick and because it is one of the hit foods from game nights of old. The ingredients on their own are tend to be on the bland side. There is not a huge amount of zest that I can attribute to potatoes or celery or chicken or noodles themselves. When you put them together and let them simmer for several hours, however, the rich flavor comes out in both smell and taste. The small amount of seasonings from herbs adds complexity to the taste, and this rich, varied taste can break through the toughest of unappetizing illnesses. It is warm, full of nutrients, includes most sources of food energy, and just mushy enough to make it easy to eat. The salty broth soothes sore throats while the chicken and vegetables strengthen your week body. The smell itself seems to penetrate the stuffy nose to at least give a feeling that healing will come. It is probably the best gift to give to a friend who is ill in the wish that their health will improve, and the positive thought associated with it combines with the fact that it is actually beneficial and delicious. Soups themselves in their grey area between solid food and beverage bring some of the best parts out of dining. One of the great advantages to soups is the fact that you can cook them for so long, and the flavor gets better the longer you cook. The broth has a nearly infinite variety of flavors that can be concocted, and the added ingredients compliment and absorb these flavors. The preparation can be simple or involved, but the result is nearly always delicious. Flavor with caution.