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Memories of Sickbed Foods


Vervain

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ginger ale, gatorade, tapioca pudding.

didn't matter how you were sick, this is what was on offer.

along with benadryl and sudafed.

if dad said so, we got something from the stash of broad spectrum antibiotics. (along with ginger ale, gatorade and tapioca pudding)

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Given to me by my mum.

Pobs

Cubes of white bread in a bowl, with scalded milk poured over , then sprinkled with white sugar.

The crusts add an interest to this dish. I may make some right now. :smile:

Martial.2,500 Years ago:

If pale beans bubble for you in a red earthenware pot, you can often decline the dinners of sumptuous hosts.

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What did your mother (or caregiver) feed you while you were recovering from an illness? - Mom is a nurse. She puts faith in modern medicine. But carbonation and saltines seemed to always settle the tummy. Chicken noodle soup once you were over the worst of it. I never wanted to get sick around my grandfather. He'd mix up a dose of honey, baking soda, and Vicks VapORub. Feed it to you by the spoonful until you could keep it down. <shudder>

Do you ascribe any special healing properties to those foods? Maybe so. The carbonation can help settle the stomach by giving a feeling of fullness. Ditto for the crackers. Plus it removes hunger pains from the mix. Once you have something in the stomach, it tends to feel better, or at least it gives it something to do instead of just sitting there. Also raises the blood sugar.

Do you crave them when you get sick now? - Coke and saltines. It was the doctor's favorite remedy. And the only time I usually drink Coke now.

What do you serve your family and friends when they are getting over being sick? I've become a big fan of chicken and dumplings. You can hide a surprising amount of pepper in there, but I only do that for respiratory illnesses. My wife craves beef boullion (ich) when she has tummy trouble.

Are any of these foods tied to a cultural tradition that you know of? - Nope. Even as a Cajun, it was the Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup.

Screw it. It's a Butterball.
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Aside from the standards above, my Vermont Yankee grandmother used to give butter and sugar creamed together to soothe a sore throat.

However, she once made me "beef tea" from her Fannie Farmer cookbook (Boston Cooking School?). It was chopped beef and lightly salted water placed in a mason jar, then placed in a pot of barely simmering water to "steep." The liquid is strained off and served to the infirm. It absolutely sucked. It is the reason I cannot stand Connecticut steamed cheeseburgers.

Edited by Willly (log)
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Thank you all for the great replies! But I have a few questions:

Jinmyo: a stew with "arteries and other tubes"? Could you be more specific (or is the memory a little nausea-producing? I'm curious because in the "Invalid Cookery" section of The Settlement Cook Book, there's a recipe for Liver Soup.

hathor: Drambui? Really? Why?

Russ Parsons: Was the tapioca a craving or just what was around? Or was this something from your childhood?

Several people mentioned flat ginger ale. I'd forgotten about that. Why do you think that was recommended? You'd think the bubbles would help a sensitive stomach.

Emily
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Ginger ale was used as ginger traditionally soothes an upset stomach. As for flat, my grandmother always believed it was easier on the stomach without the bubbles. Personally, I'd rather have the carbonation when ill.

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

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As a child, I was offered many of the things listed here--tomato soup, crackers, tea. I didn't like chicken soup so Mom never bothered trying. But I always, ALWAYS wanted beef when I was sick. Had terribe burger cravings.

In fourth grade I got the chicken pox. Was knocked out from it, out of school for over a week, high fever, pox everywhere. My dad's parents lived in the same town at the time, so about a week into the illness they got me on the phone and asked me what they could do to help. "A cheeseburger," I croaked, before Mom took the phone away from me.

The next afternoon, they showed up with a Wendy's Single in one hand and one of those Baskin-Robbins clown ice cream cones in the other. It was one of the most satisfying meals I ever ate, and I slept deeply afterwards. Whaddaya know, the next morning I was finally up and moving again.

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