Your Recovery Meal?
Monday, July 30, 2007 10:39When I got sick growing up, I always knew I was getting better when I started craving a McDonald’s Cheeseburger. Something about that spongy bun, mini beef patty and hot pickle slice sounded good to me once my fever broke and my appetite was back. I assume that it correlated to my body needing some easy to digest protein. Now, it’s almost a pavlovian response, that I think in my mind if I could eat a McD’s cheeseburger while I’m sick, testing to see if I’m getting better.
These days, I’m not sure I could do a McDonald’s burger, but my body does crave some foods when I am recovering from a cold. Last week was brutal, I haven’t taken two days off work because of a cold in probably over a decade. While the two days of rest were nice, I would have liked to have been well.
On Wednesday afternoon, I did start to get cravings. Instead of a bargain burger though, I craved sushi. Maybe it was my grown up palate that still wanted basic protein, but in a nicer (and significantly higher priced) package.
We headed to get some sushi and were thwarted from our original destination and ended up at Taiko. While not necessarily known for their sushi, they do serve average fish, with the bonus of steaming hot noodle dishes. The salty soup was particularly nice on my sore throat.
I would say that my two top cravings now when I am coming back from a cold are ramen and sushi. Do you have any types of food or specific dishes that either make you feel better, or tell you that you are getting better? Any specific restaurants that shepherd you back into the world of the health? Of course, any secret cold remedies are appreciated as well.
By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.
maribeth says:
July 30th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Chicken pot pie. And waffles. But not together.
teenage glutster says:
July 30th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Pho and Albondigas. Must be the comfort, hot-steamy liquid factor or something.
KT says:
July 30th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
I’m the opposite. When I am sick I barely eat at all, so when I recover I want carbs. Usually I can’t wait to eat a bagel. I think because when I was growing up, toast was the first thing I would eat when recovering.
Joellyn says:
July 31st, 2007 at 8:07 am
Oh, yeah. Like you, I rarely catch anything, but on the few occasions that I’ve succumbed to the stray cold or flu bug that I haven’t built up an immunity to, I head right over to Yang Chow restaurant on Broadway in Chinatown for their excellent Hot and Sour soup. It really does the trick. The spiciness of the soup really opens up my sinuses, and I feel ever so much better afterwards. Beyond that, any good spicy soup will work, like a good chicken tortilla soup or even a Thai hurricane soup, you know the one with the broth with lemon grass, ginger, Thai chili, chicken and shrimp.
foodette says:
July 31st, 2007 at 10:38 am
Funny - I have been to Taiko many times - I clicked on your link to your previous post and read about what you order. I am the same. After having their sushi many times, I really don’t think it’s very good. I stick to the sides, appetizers, and noodles. I also posted about them, though maybe not as favorably, but like you, it will always hold a special place in my heart as somewhere my husband and I frequented in our early years of dating.
My favorite recovery food is home made chicken soup. Sadly, I am not one to cook soup for hours when I am sick, so usually I have to settle for what i can get a Whole Foods. One of these days, when I have a large stock pot, I will make weekly stocks and freeze them, so I am never without.
Great post!
Susan says:
July 31st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Franco American spaghetti with a hot dog sliced up into it. And a cold, cold soda.
Darlene says:
August 6th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Greek lemon chicken soup is my new favorite. I like it with a lot of lemon so I can taste it through my sickly coated tongue.
Princess Ne says:
August 7th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Pizza. Sometimes Chinese. Weird, I know!
Rene says:
August 9th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
For a cough, boiled coca-cola with juice of 1/2 a lemon.
For recovery from a cold with GI symptoms, Chinese Rice Porridge.
I know I’m fully recovered when I start to want meat!