The topic of soup is trending right now. Not just because we’re transitioning to cooler weather and the TikTok trend “good soup” has gone viral, but because there is a new Instagram page regarding soup that has people smiling.
The Instagram account @msu.soup has taken Montclair State University’s campus by storm. It was created at the beginning of the semester by students who were looking to find friends after coming back to campus this semester. The creators of the account, who chose to remain anonymous, were finding it hard to branch out and wanted a way for students to bond and connect over a common interest, which in this case, happens to be soup.
“We wanted to unite our school through the love of ‘OK’ soup,” they said.
The account posts a new person each day with their bowl of soup somewhere on campus. The captions almost always have a soup pun in them as well as a mention of what type of soup the student is eating. Sometimes they also mention where they got it from.
To gain more traction for their account, the creators tried to make themselves known on other Instagram profiles.
“We went to some of the more major Montclair State Instagram pages and started commenting on there,” they said. “We would follow some of those accounts and other students, and [from there] we just started to spread.”
The account posts a new person each day with their bowl of soup somewhere on campus.
Photo courtesy of @msu.soup
After starting in August, the account has almost 700 followers and is growing by the day. The creators say it’s not hard to find content because their followers keep sending them photos and videos to post.
“We were getting constant, non-stop [direct messages] from everybody all around campus,” they said. “We got videos from WMSC and most recently of James Lynch of ‘The Undergrads.’ But, our real goal is to have Rocky the Red Hawk on our page.”
Tyler Mayer, a sophomore history major, said his journey to being featured on the account started with the baked potato soup in the Student Center.
“It was the first time I went to the Student Center to try some of their new food, and I saw they had a soup station,” Mayer said. “I asked my friend to take a picture of me and I sent it to the account. A couple of weeks later, there I was [featured on their page].”
Tyler Mayer enjoys his baked potato soup at the student center.
Photo courtesy of Tyler Mayer
Morgan Monfriedo, a sophomore filmmaking major, found the account on her Instagram discover page and decided to follow them before she eventually sent in a photo for the fun of it.
“I submitted a photo because I thought it was funny and [I] hoped it would get posted,” Monfriedo said. “So many of my friends brought it up to me and I thought it was really funny.”
Morgan Monfriedo indulges in both her poses and chicken noodle soup.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Monfriedo
To be featured on the account, you have to be eating soup anywhere on campus. The soup doesn’t have to be from any of Montclair State’s dining halls or restaurants either, it could be canned or even homemade.
The people behind the account made it clear that the possibilities are endless in regards to the kind of soup that will get someone featured on their page.
“Early on, on our [Instagram] story, we posted that [ramen noodle soup] counts too. Any type of soup in your dorm, or anything from the new [Panera Bread] on campus,” they said. “As long as it’s soup-related on campus, you will be featured.”
The creators of the account want the page to be a place where Montclair State students and soup lovers can come together in a place of positivity.
“We exclusively promote self-love and positivity,” they said. “This account is meant to promote campus interaction and making more friends. Seeing people gain followers just from being featured is very cool.”
Mayer had a similar experience as to what the pair described.
“I thought it was really fun,” Mayer said. “It was just a little bit of a serotonin boost when I saw myself, like, ‘Hey, there I am.’ I had a spike in followers too.”
Monfriedo agrees that the account is a positive thing for Montclair State.
“I think all the [Montclair State] pages are a fun way to get yourself out there,” Monfriedo said. “I think it’s made a good community and brought people together through their love of soup and comedy.”
As for the account admins’ favorite soups:
“We like a traditional matzo ball or chicken noodle,” they said. “But, the soups that inspired us to make this account are the chicken noodle and vegetable garden soups from [Food Hall].”
The students hope to run the account for the entirety of their time at Montclair State and don’t see the page dying out any time soon.
“[The page] clearly means a lot to people and people seem to really love it,” they said. “At the end of the day, it’s just students posting funny photos of [themselves] with a bowl of soup, so keep the pictures coming. Stay souper [Montclair State].”
