It's sort of amusing how definitions of weight change.
When I started hiking and backpacking, using mostly WWII surplus gear, 25 lbs was considered a heavy load for a woman, 40 for a man. And let me tell you, 40 pounds in a yucca pack did not make for happy walking!
As equipment improved, particularly in the matter of pack designs (how did we ever make do without hip belts and compression straps?
), the concept of a "comfortable" load changed dramatically. Nowadays, 40-50 lbs for a woman and 60+ for a man are not unusual.
Then the minimalist movement started about 20 years ago, and the game become not so much "how much can we carry comfortably?" but, rather, "what's the smallest (i.e., lightest) load we can carry?"
Interestingly, as pack technology enabled us to carry heavier loads, concurrent technology in other gear and foodstuffs made the things that go in the pack lighter in weight. My first sleeping bag and tent, alone, probably weighed more than I carry nowadays for long-distance hike.
As you say, however, it's a matter of personal philosophy. On one hand we have folks like you, and, on the other hand, folks who must have all the new-fangled toys like bake ovens and espresso machines designed for backpacking.
Your point about soup in the evening is well taken. If hydration isn't the most important part of backpacking well being it runs whatever is a very close second.