Soup Protocols

Soup is infrastructure. Soup is not a solo sport.

Soup is the station's primary morale system and its oldest tradition. These protocols, maintained by the Soup Infrastructure Office, ensure it keeps flowing to everyone who needs it.

Offering Soup

Soup is offered, never imposed. A "no thank you" is logged with full respect. If a bowl is declined, you may leave it nearby anyway; soup waits more patiently than we do, and is often accepted later, quietly, when no one is watching.

The Ladle

The ceremonial ladle returns to its hook after every use. Always. This is the one genuinely non-negotiable rule in the entire handbook. It has been violated exactly once, and we do not speak of the Incident of the Sink.

When To Deploy Soup

When morale drops, increase soup before increasing meetings.
A new arrival who says they "aren't hungry" still gets a bowl set nearby.
Communal meals are encouraged. Soup is not a solo sport.
Emergency soup is authorized for any creature who is visibly sad.