# Do all Restaurants in Washington DC Still Offer Bean Soup? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402 "2011-05-19T02:59:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/21 "2011-05-19T16:41:40Z")
God I miss working in DC sometimes. There was a hotdog cart outside our K street office. Half smoke, bag of cheetos and a coke for $1.50. Of course you had to pay $15.00/day to park in our office garage… and I got hit by a car, twice, a week apart, riding my bike to work. Nevermind. Don’t miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/22 "2011-05-19T16:47:20Z")
If the story your sister told you were true, wouldn’t it make more sense for the regulation to say that every restaurant must have some menu option that constitutes a complete meal for less than some set price? Just because a fine dining establishment has a bean soup on the menu doesn’t mean it’s going to be affordable to Mr. Smith, come to lobby his government. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/23 "2011-05-19T18:07:38Z")
No, Mr. Smith was himself a U.S. Senator. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/24 "2011-05-19T18:42:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > God-Damned Tourists > [@Acsenray](#): > > Yeah, well, without them we’d be a lot poorer. Be vewy, vewy quiet…we’re hunting touwists. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/25 "2011-05-19T18:42:35Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] … wouldn’t it make more sense for the regulation to say that every restaurant must have some menu option that constitutes a complete meal … [/QUOTE] Well, [soup is a meal](http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheSoup.html), some would argue. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/26 "2011-05-19T18:44:26Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Be vewy, vewy quiet…we’re hunting touwists. Why do they call it “tourist season” if we’re not allowed to shoot them? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/27 "2011-05-19T19:58:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, soup is a meal, some would argue. That’s not the part I’m quibbling. I mean, why would the purported regulation specify the dish, instead of specifying the price? There are expensive soups and cheap hamburgers. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/28 "2011-05-19T23:52:42Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I spend too much time on the road, I guess. When did Bill Clinton die? your car hit a time warp and you don’t realize it. it’s already 2080. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/29 "2011-05-20T13:51:55Z")
[QUOTE=llcoolbj77] God I miss working in DC sometimes. There was a hotdog cart outside our K street office. Half smoke, bag of cheetos and a coke for $1.50. Of course you had to pay $15.00/day to park in our office garage… and I got hit by a car, twice, a week apart, riding my bike to work. Nevermind. Don’t miss it. [/QUOTE] What’s a half smoke and why was your downtown parking so cheap? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/30 "2011-05-20T14:05:41Z")
> **[Half-smoke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-smoke)** > > A half-smoke is a type of hot dog found in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region. Larger, spicier, and with more coarsely-ground meat than a regular hot dog, the sausage is often half-pork and half-beef, smoked, and served with herbs, onion, and chili sauce. > The etymology of "half-smoke" possibly comes from the original half-pork, half-beef composition, the ingredients and smoked method of preparation. Another possible explanation is that the texture and flavor is halfway between smoked... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/31 "2011-05-20T14:29:19Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > What’s a half smoke and why was your downtown parking so cheap? > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > [Half-smoke - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-smoke) In short: a spicy smoked sausage. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/32 "2011-05-20T15:57:32Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > In short: a spicy smoked sausage. Also known as “diarrhea on a bun.” The nifty thing about it is that when you eat one is also causes diarrhea from your ass. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/33 "2011-05-20T16:26:47Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Also known as “diarrhea on a bun.” Does that go good with “shit on a shingle”? ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/34 "2011-05-22T23:08:01Z")
> [@](#): > > No, I’ve never heard of such a requirement for restaurants. > > There is Senate bean soup, which is apparently served every day in the Capitol. One can also find a canned version in the area’s less reputable grocery stores. > [@](#): > > What other sorts of nonsense did your sister tell you? > [@](#): > > After some googling, the soup was a favorite of a few senators. Lobbyists had nothing to do with it Your sister was either pulling your leg or really didn’t undertaand the story. my reclusive sister fires back: “by congressional act, bean soup is always served at the house cafeteria, precisely to serve poor people going to congress. i have the recipe.” “it came with virginia ham hocks. true enough, it was the only thing poor fulbright scholars on tour can afford.” “i notice people are born, live, work and die in a city without really understanding it. oh well, can’t say i’ve mastered chicago.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/35 "2011-05-22T23:39:49Z")
I live near DC, have worked there in the past, and can say that no, not every restaurant in DC serves bean soup. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/36 "2011-05-22T23:41:19Z")
“Freedom Stew” ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/37 "2011-05-22T23:45:04Z")
i’m already assuming she was wrong about the restaurants (or was exagerating.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/38 "2011-05-22T23:49:13Z")
Your sister is still speaking nonsense. The fact that bean soup is or was always on the menu of the Senate cafeteria has virtually nothing to do with whether it’s on the menu of every restaurant in Washington, DC. If someone who knew little about the city came for a visit and said that all restaurants in the city were either Ethiopian, Italian, Thai, or sold half-smokes it would be wildly wrong, but at least it would show that the person had done a tiny bit of observation. Claiming that all the restaurants served bean soup though shows that someone can’t think through the tinest chain of logic. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/39 "2011-05-22T23:58:26Z")
wooohh… like my last post had absolutely no meaning. is it ok if you stay with the restaurants while we focus on senate bean soup served in capitol hill? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402/40 "2011-05-23T00:19:44Z")
Again, nothing that your sister has said makes any sense. There are no poor people going into the Senate cafeteria to eat. The only people who eat there are Senators and their guests. There are no Fulbright scholars going into the Senate cafeteria (or none except the rare ones who are the guests of Senators, and they aren’t poor). Your sister’s statements about the restaurants of D.C. make no sense. They aren’t exaggerated. They just make no sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-restaurants-in-washington-dc-still-offer-bean-soup/582402.md?page=3)