Comparitive Childhood talked about McDonald's fast food today and got me thinking about my hangover eating preferences.
First and foremost, I've gotta have a Pepsi (Coke will do in a pinch but it isn't quite the same). I keep a 12-pack of Caffeine Free Pepsi in my pantry, available on a strictly "break open in case of hangover" basis.
Second in line, and later in the day: a burger and fries.
Back in my college days, weekend mornings were synonymous with hangovers. Genesee Keg party, anyone?
I shared a Victorian era house with a group of Irish Catholic girls who collected keg money on Friday night with all the solemnity of a Sunday morning collection plate. In those days, it wasn't unusual for me to stay up half the night with my buds, sometimes til the sun came up, until we floated the keg.
Something about keg beer and particularly nasty hangovers.
Which meant there was hell to pay if I was scheduled for the morning shift at my Kmart job (yes, that's right, that was me on the loudspeaker announcing Blue Light Specials in Ladies Lingerie). But make my shift I must, so I trotted off with a serious dog on my head.
Conveniently, on the way to work, there was a string of fast food restaurants. First stop McD's for their excellent fries and a Pepsi. Next stop Wendy's for a burger with mustard and pickles only. Ahh. Good as new. Or good enough to get me through the day.
These days I have moved away from keg beer (far, far away) and toward vodka that's been distilled four or five times. On another preventative front: B-complex, an ibuprofen, and LOTS of water before I go to bed. Works like a charm, when I remember to take it.
How about you? What are your hangover cures? Replies along the lines of, "I don't drink enough for hangovers" will be summarily deleted. (kidding, of course).
Here are a few (hopefully) helpful links:
-- Hangover-cure is a blog dedicated to the cause.
-- Ten Quick Hangover Cures offered up at Mental Floss, here.
-- Ten Healthy Hangover Cures, here. Before: Almonds; During: clear alcohol; After: no caffeine, sports drinks and lots of water.
-- Sciencebase says there is no such thing as a hangover cure, here. Boo hiss boo. Leave my placebo voodoo alone, please. These buzz kills say the only way to cure a hangover is to prevent one by drinking less. Well ok, if you say so.
A political aside (because there is always a political aside from where I'm sitting). These hangover hints will not help Alaska's Senator Ted Stevens, I'm not sorry to say. Today he was found guilty on all seven counts of corruption (read about it here). I'd call that suffering from 4o years of swigging pork barrel swill and swindling his constituents.
13 comments:
That cartoon is the absolute best;) I like caffeine and sugar. Followed by the burger and fries route. With a hair-of-the-dog chaser.
As a seasoned drinker in my youth (let's just go with that), I tried to space my Long Island Iced Teas - when we went dancing and I needed strong drinks - with waters.
Yes, this sounds silly. But as a former bartender too, I learned quick that if you fight the dehydration all night long, the morning really isn't so bad.
(Quickest way to get hungover? Try to get off your bartender shift and play catch up, real fast. Quickest way to want to die, I swear.)
mental p -- I've never been able to do the "hair of the dog" route. Usually, after a hangover, I don't want to see, smell, or think about alcohol, let alone drink it.
lisa -- Yes! I know all about spacing my drinking with water and for rehydrating. Good tip.
Tomato juice.
And a burger.
And a painkiller before I go to sleep.
That cartoon is hilarious.
I hadn't heard of the B complex with the ibuprofen. I, of course, do drink whiskey. But, I try to avoid hangovers at all costs. Like you, my 20's were rife with cocktails. But, the hangovers were so much easier to take...Now, it kills me and I have two very young children to take care of.
I'm a Coke girl. Water. Ibuprofen or aspirin. Sometimes a mix. Carbs definitely help the next day.
As you KNOW, I have also progressed towards vodka. I like to take the ibuprofen BEFORE bed, drink PLENTY of water, and a lovely cheeseburger for lunch the next day does the trick. (not that i have MANY hangovers...)
love the cartoon!!
mary -- ordinarily I luv tomato juice, but ugh, can't think of it on hangover stomach.
jck -- absolutely right about how much harder it is with little kids. And they just don't understand, do they?!?
vodka mom -- I had a sneaking suspicion you would weigh in : ) And yes, I do think water is a big key.
The secret to not getting a hang over was to stop at White Castle and load up on sliders before retiring for the night. (They seem to absorb some of the alcohol!!!! LOL)
Fried egg on a roll from a greasy spoon.
I'm with you on the prevention front--only I just drink the water, my liver is going to have enough to do without processing Advil.
The morning after. Diet Coke with ice and a breakfast burrito with lots of bacon in it--for some reason protein and fat do the trick.
You got me. I'm "that" girl who doesn't drink. Did quite a bit in college, hangover cure? WATER WATER WATER
So In college the main plan was to drink a large glass of water and take an Advil and a multi-vitamin before going to sleep.
In the morning it was Vanilla Coke (with the soft ice from the bowling alley!). I also worked at K-Mart (Camera&Jewelry and then Toys! "hey, is the blue light on?" "Yes. No.Yes. No. Yes." :-D
Yeah...McDonalds or Chick Filet either one was greasy enough to cure what was ailing!!!
I tried that "hair of the dog" one time, but that just started us going for the rest of the day and a really bad hangover the next day! Not pretty, my friend, no. pretty.
Thanks for linking. I didn't mean to imply by saying there's no cure for a hangover, that I'm some kind of partypooping teetotaler.
In fact, I've had more hangovers than I've had fried breakfasts.
Speaking of which a big fried breakfast - a Full English - will often ameliorate the symptoms, if not actually cure, a hangovr...
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