Monday, December 6, 2010

Oh, so sick...

Oh, the onset of winter and the looming doom of final exams!  I'm curled up on the couch right now, hating life, hating my scratchy throat, and especially hating the knowledge that I have a three-page paper to write by tomorrow at five, that I have to present a Shakespeare history scene at 9 AM, and that I have another 15-page paper due in a week.



But three things I don't hate, not at all, are the adorable kitty curled up on my lap and making it impossible for me to move, the existence of College Inn culinary broth, and the boyfriend who is lovingly beetling back and forth from me to the stove to refill my cup of soup.  

My mother discovered this broth last year, when I was miserably ensconced at her house for 11 days of a bout of swine flu that lasted all Thanksgiving week and royally ticked me off.  I was not okay with eating anything, and tea was getting boring after about day 4, so she scoured Publix for something more interesting that did not involve actual pieces of food that I would have to eat.  (No, this is not nutritionally sound.  At all.  But when you're down with swine flu, all you care about is unstopping your nose with steam and not giving yourself more food that will just nauseate you.)  

She came home with two magical cartons of broth.  I had always thought that cooking broth came in four different varieties:  chicken, beef, fish, and vegetable.  (Apparently also turkey, though.)  However, College Inn has taken this to a whole new level and has created 32-oz cartons of savory goodness called, respectively in order of awesomeness, Thai Coconut Curry and White Wine & Herb.  


Yes, these involve a lot of sodium, and their base is chicken stock, so they're not vegan or even vegetarian.  But for anyone even the smallest bit flexible, they're amazing when you're flat on your back with a cat on your head and wishing you could fast-forward to a week later, like DirectTV.  But I water them down by half, heat on the stove, and clutch cup after cup of this like they're liquid gold, because I'd be just as upset if I accidentally spilled either.  


The Thai Coconut Curry includes coconut, curry, garlic, soy sauce, and coriander.  Other ingredients are listed on the website.  It's got a fun kick at the back of your mouth that's a little spicy, even when it's watered down, but it doesn't hurt a sore throat unless you are drinking gallons of it. 

The White Wine & Herb has Chablis wine, oregano, thyme, rosemary, apple cider vinegar, onion extract, and a decent amount of salt.  Yes, there is an unhealthy amount of sodium in both.  But I tell myself that if I'm watering it down with a lot of filtered water and a whole lot of tea, things will be fine.  You know, you hear that you should not drink too much or you will flush necessary salt reserves right out of your system?  Same idea.  Sort of. 





These two, combined with quite a lot of Temple of Heaven Gunpowder Green Tea, make being sick quite bearable.  However, the presence of a warm cat on your feet does quite a lot to lift your spirits, too.

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