Irkutsk Newspapers' Bizarre Hangover Remedies
A hangover is perhaps one of the most traditional features of the first morning of January after a wild New Year«s Eve. And almost every family has its own ways to prevent a headache. We»ve collected the strangest recipes from old Irkutsk newspapers.
The editorial board of «IrCity» categorically condemns alcohol consumption and reminds that it is harmful to health.
Headache? Go Get Some Sturgeon
The newspaper «SM Nomer Odin» published advice from famous people. Deputy director of one company, Sergei Smirnov, shared a unique grandfather«s recipe. It looks like this: »In the morning, if you have a headache after a noisy feast, you need to run to the nearest body of water, market, or supermarket for fresh sturgeon. Then clean it, cut it into large pieces, and put it in a bucket. The main thing is that the bucket is filled to the brim. After that, put it on the fire, or better yet — on a campfire. Two minutes before it«s ready, and sturgeon is cooked for five minutes, pour a bottle of vodka into the bucket and let it cool. After cooling, you can start the meal.»
An Unexpected Midnight Recipe
The newspaper «Irkutsk» from the same year provides two recommendations.
«Remember! Recipe one. In a glass with kefir, filled two-thirds or three-quarters full, slowly and carefully, along the sides, add vodka so that both liquids do not mix with each other. Drink it at a good speed. The effect is wonderful!
Recipe two, unexpected. However much some people praise beer as a hangover cure, don«t believe them, they are amateurs. Its effectiveness is minimal and short-term. Moreover, by Russian tradition, beer is fraught with transitioning to vodka. It»s another matter if you have the foresight to hide a bottle of beer in the refrigerator in the evening and manage to wake up in the middle of the night to drink it — in the morning you«ll wake up healthy! But actually, it»s better not to overdo it in the evening.«
Anti-Hangover Cocktail and Castor Oil
In 2007, the Angarsk newspaper «Svecha» published a whole list of folk recipes on how to get back on your feet after a party. Among them are these:
After drinking, before sleep, drink as much cow«s milk as possible. And in the morning, the hangover won»t bother you. The only downside of this recipe — when drunk, it«s very difficult to get to the refrigerator.
»Streletskaya Metla« (Strelets Broom). Take 2 parts sour cabbage, 1 part fresh cabbage, 1 part grated carrot, half a glass of pickle brine. Mix and consume. The effect is more or less predictable — evacuation, and you»ll feel much lighter.
«Krovavy Glaz» (Bloody Eye). This anti-hangover cocktail is prepared as follows: place an egg yolk in a glass of tomato juice. And under no circumstances mix it. Then drink it all in one gulp!
Castor oil with milk. Mix 2 tablespoons of castor oil with 1 glass of milk. The milk must be hot, or the oil won«t dissolve. Cool and drink.
Eggs Are a Must
In 2007, the Sayansky «Novye Gorizonty» (New Horizons) outlined a whole mechanism for preventing and getting rid of hangovers:
Preventing hangovers. 2–3 hours before the feast, drink 50 grams of vodka, this will prepare the body for the load. You can mix vodka with eleutherococcus tincture — this wonderful plant will almost completely relieve you of morning suffering.
During. It«s better to snack on boiled potatoes or sauerkraut. Before the binge starts, it»s recommended to drink a tablespoon of vegetable oil or a raw egg: they prevent the absorption of alcohol. Or eat something fatty.
In the morning. First method: mix a raw egg with one tablespoon of weak table or apple 7% vinegar (don«t confuse it with 70% acetic acid essence!), add a little salt and pepper and drink in one gulp. Second method: grease a wide shot glass with vegetable oil, pour in two teaspoons of tomato sauce, one raw egg yolk, a teaspoon of lemon juice, salt, red and black ground pepper, 1–2 tablespoons of vodka. Drink in one gulp, and 15 minutes of immobile lying down.
Russian Style and American Style
In 2008, the newspaper «Sayanskie Zori» (Sayansk Dawns) published a note with traditional recipes from peoples of different countries. Here are some of them:
Russian style. Our ancestors invented a special dish called «pokhmelye» (hangover). It«s a mixture of finely chopped cucumbers and cold boiled lamb, poured with pickle brine and seasoned with vinegar, pepper. Thanks to such a mix, the body suffering from electrolyte loss after a wild night gets everything necessary: sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and also replenishes the water deficit, which is exactly the cause of headache.
American style. Here, preference is given to the sobering cocktail »Prairie Oysters,« consisting of a raw egg mixed with tomato juice, ketchup, and vinegar.
German style. Residents of Germany prefer after a festive feast for breakfast beef or lamb, a banana, and a glass of milk. By the way, here they hold the opinion that milk, drunk before consuming not very much alcohol, will help avoid hangover altogether, as well as two tablespoons of olive oil, cabbage, or a fresh cucumber.
French style. French people are helped from hangover by hot onion soup and strong black coffee with salt. Popular in such situations is the national cocktail »Pig«s Wash.» In a glass, pour a little lemon juice and two equal parts of white wine and carbonated water.
