The Pete and Sebastian Show - Episode 693: "Soup Etiquette"

Released: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

In this laugh-out-loud episode, comedians Pete Correale and Sebastian Maniscalco dig into the complexities of family routines, modern parenting, inflation sticker shock, hosting etiquette, and—most memorably—the unwritten rules of soup. Their legendary chemistry flows as they riff on everything from emotional boundaries in marriage to entertaining disasters, all with their signature blend of vulnerability and comedic insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Greetings & Affection in Relationships

[01:15–08:18]

• Sebastian’s Social Experiment: Sebastian reveals he's been “pulling back” on daily greetings and the “peck” (quick kiss) with his wife Jackie, curious to see if affection will be reciprocated more naturally.
  • "Sometimes I'm so nice that I don't even know if it's being reciprocated because I'm just fucking oozing niceness, that it's covering for everybody." – Sebastian [02:21]
• Who Initiates? Pete wonders about the etiquette for who should greet first when entering a shared space in the house.
  • Both agree on the importance of morning and goodnight rituals, but debate the effort involved.
  • Sebastian’s experiment yielded, “She rolled over, climbed over my side and gave me the peck. So instead of me going, you know what? This peck thing ain't necessary. I just got one now I restarted it." [05:58]
• Peck Mechanics: Pete teases Sebastian for puckering his lips “like you’re kissing your grandma,” sparking a hilarious debate on masculine affection.
  • "I don't think Sinatra would do that." – Pete [06:54]

2. The Carpool Conundrum

[09:55–19:32]

• Loss of Bonding: Both lament how carpooling kids for activities disrupts precious one-on-one moments with their children and forces them into “performative” dad roles for non-family kids.
  • "It went from me and Sadie talking in the car about her day to, like... she treats me like an Uber." – Sebastian [11:27]
  • Pete: "Now you add another person into the car, and they might not be up to speed on the disciplinary behavior you need to have in order to drive with me." [13:04]
• Kids’ Preferences: Pete’s son Caruso dreads carpooling because of incompatible tastes with fellow passengers—like having to listen to Minecraft podcasts.
• Parenting Milestones: Sebastian’s anecdotes of being told not to sing Fleetwood Mac when friends are in the car, and getting rebuffed offering Red Hots, capture the bittersweet growing pains of kids maturing.

Notable Quote

"Now I am like an Uber driver. I just drive. Bye, girls. Five stars." – Sebastian [19:27]

3. Sticker Shock: Parenting in the Age of Inflation

[25:39–35:29 & 56:52–64:53]

• Event Price Insanity: Pete attends a children's gymnastics meet in Venice Beach and is floored by $15 parking, $25-a-head entry, and $65 hoodies.
  • "What is this, a Lakers game?" – Pete [26:01]
  • "Is Mary Lou Retton doing signings or something?" – Sebastian [28:15]
  • $5 hot dogs and endless upcharges for family events provoke a broader rant on modern inflation.
• Trophies for All: Both mock the trend of handing out participation medals to 12th place, yearning for a return to the classic gold, silver, bronze model.
  • "What are you giving out at 12th place? Tin foil?" – Pete [38:21]
• Custom Rug Racket: Pete gripes about astronomical costs for custom home items, especially rugs that are "handmade."
  • "I don't need some guy in Nepal. Stitching a rug for me, right?" – Pete [61:40]
• Economics Explainer: The show’s “Economics Expert” drops in to clarify why prices seem to only rise, referencing fiat currency and supply/demand [58:41].

4. Parenting & Competitive Kids

[23:07–25:39]

• Intimidating Kids’ Skill Levels: Both observe that today’s children’s sports are ultra-competitive—Sebastian's daughter faces a 10-year-old swimming prodigy, and Pete feels like the kids at soccer are "Portugal vs. Brazil" at age six.
• Healthy Attitude on Losing: Pete and Sebastian praise displays of sportsmanship and perspective, like smiling after a gymnastics fall, and lightly roast over-seriousness.

Notable Quote

"She loves this. And she’s having fun, but it doesn’t define her. And that makes me like her more than the fucking Russians. That's all they live for." – Sebastian [35:10]

5. Lifestyle & Hosting: The Soup Segment

[38:47–55:35]

• Hosting Etiquette Fails: Pete rants about hosts reusing “family dip” with old chip fragments or putting out week-old chips with a clip still on the bag for guests.
  • "There's like, the dips got, like, a little chip in there. Like, it broke off from, like, Monday..." – Pete [39:47]
  • "That's like one-on-one that says, though." – Sebastian [40:21]
• How to Entertain: Pete details his own gold-standard—serving guests individually sealed, fresh treats—and Sebastian shares his story of pre-warming guests’ cars after a snowstorm to go “above and beyond.”
  • "This wasn't Garrett popcorn because we have a tub of Garrett popcorn... This was sealed." – Pete [42:34]

Soup Etiquette Debate

• The "Personal" Level of Soup: Both agree soup is the most intimate of home meals—fine for family, but awkward for guests or as a neighborly gift.
  • “Just like if I went over to somebody's house and they said, hey, I made some minestrone soup. You want a cup to keep—keep it.” – Pete [47:51]
  • “Soup could be very personal, very homey.” – Sebastian [48:04]
• Slurping and Drinking: They joke about the etiquette of slurping, drinking directly from the bowl, and soaking bread—concluding these moves are for family only, not guest settings.
  • "You ever make eye contact with someone drinking soup from the bowl? ... It's like a deer in headlights." – Pete [50:34]
  • "Soup is a family meal." – Sebastian [51:10]
• Accepting Soup Gifts: Both would turn away soup from acquaintances, but would eat “in-law soup” without hesitation.
  • “Put it in the garbage right now. We ain’t eating other people’s soup.” – Pete [53:01]

6. Miscellaneous Comedy and Closing Topics

[66:55–69:39]

• Pets & Vasectomy: Comedic detours cover Pete’s new “let the dogs roam” policy and a graphic exchange about canine and human vasectomies.
  • "So when you ejaculate, does anything come out?" – Pete [67:10]
  • “Yeah, but still, it's actually the weirdest thing. I feel like it felt better, but maybe that's only because I know there's nothing to worry about, but..." – Sebastian [67:19]
• Podcast Awards Aspirations: Wrapping up, they set their sights on winning a major podcast award, poking fun at the self-importance of award culture.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Now I am like an Uber driver. I just drive. Bye, girls. Five stars.” – Sebastian [19:27]
• “What are you giving out at 12th place? Tin foil.” – Pete [38:21]
• “[Soup is] a very family, you know, meal. You're right. Man..." – Sebastian [51:10]
• “You ever make eye contact with someone drinking soup from the bowl? ... It's like a deer in headlights.” – Pete [50:34]

Noteworthy Timestamps

• Sebastian’s affection experiment: [02:21–05:58]
• Carpooling and loss of dad-bonding: [11:01–13:45]
• Sticker shock at kid events: [25:39–28:15]
• Soup etiquette and slurping: [47:15–51:10]
• Economics Expert explains inflation: [58:41–59:31]
• Hosting etiquette (popcorn story): [42:34–43:06]
• Vasectomy Q&A: [66:55–68:32]

Original Tone & Style

Pete and Sebastian’s conversational back-and-forth—part therapy, part old-school roast—makes even mundane topics riotously engaging. Their humor is self-deprecating, observational, familial, and at times, just a little exasperated with the modern world.

Summary Takeaway

This episode hilariously dissects modern etiquette—be it in relationships, the carpool line, the hospitality suite, or, yes, the soup pot. With riffs on inflation, parenting dilemmas, and the nuances of slurping, Pete and Sebastian keep the laughs (and life lessons) rolling. For anyone who loves the intersection of old-school values and today’s everyday absurdities: this is a must-listen.