Soup Nazi
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Yev Kasem (a.k.a. the Soup Nazi) was a fictional character portrayed by Larry Thomas in the sitcom Seinfeld. The Soup Nazi was a stone-faced immigrant chef with a thick Stalin-esque moustache, who was well-known throughout the city for his delicious soups. He demanded that all customers in his restaurant follow his meticulous (and seemingly arbitrary) soup-ordering instructions to the letter, lest they be refused service by his insistent avowal, "No soup for you!" Some of the soups that he served were cold cucumber, corn and clam chowders, jambalaya, turkey chili, mulligatawny, crab and lobster bisques. He encountered his Waterloo when Elaine discovered his secret recipes. He made a brief cameo in the Seinfeld series finale, where his name was revealed to be Yev Kasem.
His character was based on an actual New York City soup vendor named Al Yeganeh, who runs Soup Kitchen International in midtown Manhattan. The store is open only part of the year. In the summer, his customers are greeted with a sign indicating he has gone to "Argentina for the winter".
According to an Associated Press article published 2005 April 29, Yeganeh plans to open a chain of soup stores under the name "The Original Soup Man" across the country.[link] The first franchise opened in Princeton, New Jersey on October 24, 2005. His company, Soup Kitchen International, plans to open 1000 outlets nationwide.
Trivia
- Like Jackie Chiles, the Soup Nazi has appeared in commercials after the end of the series. An advertisement by the Center for Consumer Freedom has him denying food to people he considers too fat.
- In the background, one can see a sign in the restaurant reading "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."
- Yeganeh dislikes the Nazi label, but he is renowned both for his excellent soups and for his rude treatment of customers. Cosmo Kramer's inspiration, Kenny Kramer, agrees that Yeganeh's nickname is unfair, and jokingly suggests his nickname be changed to Al, The Soup Rat Bastard.
- Soup Kitchen International's Midtown Manhattan location is at 259-A West 55th Street.
- Prior to his fictional counterpart's appearance on Seinfeld, the real Al Yaganeh was unflatteringly referred to by local patrons as the "Terrorist". His soups were renowned for their excellent quality, but his interactions with customers seemed somewhat capricious. Some were granted extra side items like candy or bread, but no clear rules for this attention were ever established. This arbitrariness was referred to in the show when George asked why he hadn't received any bread even though previous customers did. The Soup Nazi's reply was, "You want bread? Three dollars!!"
- Larry Thomas appeared in the Scrubs season 3 episode "My Self Examination" as himself. He denies he is the Soup Nazi when asked by J.D. (Zach Braff), who then tricks him into saying the famous catch phrase.
- "No Soup for You!!" was a category on Jeopardy!'s November 30, 2004 Seinfeld-themed episode. This Jeopardy! episode is well-known as the one in which 74-time champion Ken Jennings lost for the first time.
- "The Soup Man of 55th Street," a profile of Al Yeganeh (with one of his recipes) appears on pp.70-71, 78 of Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook (Workman Publishing, 1992) ISBN 1563053373
External links
- [Soup Kitchen International] - Official website
- [The Original Soup Man stores] - Official website
- [Original 'Soup Nazi' Crossing The Pond]
| Seinfeld |
|---|
| Characters |
| Main Characters: Jerry Seinfeld (character)>Jerry Seinfeld | George Costanza | Elaine Benes | Cosmo Kramer |
| Related to Jerry: Helen Seinfeld > Morty Seinfeld | Uncle Leo | Kenny Bania | Sally Weaver | Dr. Tim Whatley |
| Related to George: Estelle Costanza > Frank Costanza | Susan Ross | Mr. Wilhelm | Mr. Kruger | Lloyd Braun |
| Related to Elaine: Jacopo Peterman>J. Peterman | David Puddy | Mr. Lippman | Justin Pitt | Sue Ellen Mischke |
| Related to Kramer: Newman (Seinfeld)>Newman | Mickey Abbott | Jackie Chiles | Bob Sacamano | Babs Kramer | Lomez |
| Other: Soup Nazi > "Crazy" Joe Davola | Minor characters in Seinfeld |
| Culture of the Seinfeld Universe |
| Festivus > Master of Your Domain | Regifting List of fictional films in Seinfeld | Coffee Table Book About Coffee Tables |
| Episodes |
| List of Seinfeld episodes > The Seinfeld Chronicles |
| Other |
| List of Seinfeld references to actual people > Running gags in Seinfeld |
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