# Eating When Ill **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354 "2018-02-07T12:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/21 "2018-02-08T00:23:45Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > My father used to make me a hot toddy when I had a bad cold. Lemon juice, honey, water as hot as you can stand it and two shots of whiskey. You’re still as sick as ever but so drunk off your ass you don’t mind. > > My mother was all about the dry toast and unsweetened tea. No fun at all. I used to do that, only it was called a hot brick: whiskey, sugar, butter, cinnamon and hot water. It seemed to help. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/22 "2018-02-08T02:13:35Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Soft boiled eggs, mashed up with salt and butter, and served in a mug with a spoon. Oooooh, with toast soldiers! Actually, toast soldiers under soft-boiled eggs with butter, salt, and pepper are also delicious when you’re in the pink of health. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/23 "2018-02-08T03:25:36Z")
My go-to when I have a cold is hot-and-sour soup from a local Chinese restaurant. It seems to help. Embarrassingly, though, whenever I go in there, they ask me if I want hot-and-sour soup. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/24 "2018-02-08T11:35:38Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Cup after cup of hot tea with milk and honey, because I’m prone to dry, hacking coughs. It helps melt my nasal passages, too. I’m ODing on my herbal version of chai with stevia. For kicks I sometimes switch it with orange spice and a ginger. The latter itself is supposed to be for upset tummies, but I’m more interested in the tang. > [@](#): > > Other than that, the kind of comforting, carb-driven stuff you mention. Grilled cheese is very good. Pasta with salt and butter. Ramen, with fried eggs on top if I have the stamina, and a shot of Sriracha again to melt the nasal passages. I dropped a pinch of cayenne and a couple of drops of sriracha in my chicken noodle the other night. I knew they were both there because I got the back-of-the-mouth zing but otherwise I couldn’t taste them ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/25 "2018-02-08T11:37:10Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > For hangovers, greasy Chinese takeout is a must. I’ve been craving hot and sour soup like nobody’s business. The Asian place up the road makes a decent one. Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/26 "2018-02-08T11:40:33Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > My father used to make me a hot toddy when I had a bad cold. Lemon juice, honey, water as hot as you can stand it and two shots of whiskey. You’re still as sick as ever but so drunk off your ass you don’t mind. We need to get some whiskey 🙂 Last night my husband made me a kind of mulled wine where he gently heated some pinot noir and added a cinnamon stick (our ex housemate is an expert at making it and adds everything in the spice cabinet but I digress). I could barely taste the cinnamon but the fact that it was heated made it very easy to drink. I also fell asleep maybe an hour later, LOL. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/27 "2018-02-08T15:34:25Z")
The way this thread appears in my browser the title looks like “eating while III” and I couldn’t figure out why the OP was using “III” for “3” but then reading about the soup and the hot dog coins, I was convinced that they were talking about eating like a 3-year-old. I got it now. I L L. Anyway, I never ever drink tea (or anything hot) but if I’m sick I will find myself some hot tea and have it with toast. If my tummy isn’t doing too bad, toast with peanut butter. If it is doing bad, it’s cinnamon sugar toast. This last time I got stomach bug I really only wanted fruit afterwards. Everything else just felt too heavy. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/28 "2018-02-08T16:16:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Soft boiled eggs, mashed up with salt and butter, and served in a mug with a spoon. > > And soup. Any fairly brothy soup will work, even chicken noodle. > > Once I get a bit better, boxed macaroni and cheese, or what we call Kraft Dinner here in Canada. Nearly everything mentioned is common to me, but … your egg post made me blink. Can someone please explain how this works? I like soft boiled eggs, but I cut off the top & spoon it directly out of the shell. How do you mash them without getting shell bits … or how do you peel a soft boiled egg? I’m missing something here, and this may very well be my new favorite way to eat eggs & I just don’t know it yet! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/29 "2018-02-08T16:36:50Z")
As a Chinese person, the traditional answer to this is “jook,” but I was never a fan. For all you round-eyes this is probably better known as “congee”; for those of you who still don’t know what that is, it’s rice porridge; for those of you who _still_ don’t know what that is, I can’t help you. Anyways, to make it you basically just cook rice in WAY too much liquid, usually water but broth will work, and keep it simmering until the rice has broken down and it looks like Cream of Wheat. Then, unless someone stops him, my father will start going through the refrigerator and indiscriminately tossing in whatever he finds. I don’t wonder why I never liked it. I just eat a bowl of normally cooked plain rice, sometimes with a fried egg on top if I’m up to it. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/30 "2018-02-08T17:03:05Z")
For respiratory illness, Tom Yum Soup. When I lived in Oakland, there was a fantastic Thai place about two blocks from me. Their Tom Yum Soup was the best I’ve ever had, and had magical curative powers. Nowadays, I will make home-made chicken soup, and add a good dollop of tom yum soup paste. It’s not nearly as good as the authentic soup from that restaurant, but it works. My Mom always made me the hot tea, lemon, honey, and whiskey drink, too. Honey and lemon are good for you, and the idea of the whiskey was to put me to sleep so I wouldn’t be so miserable. If it’s a gastrointestinal illness, nothing at all, and appreciate the weight loss. When I start eating again, hard-boiled eggs for the protein. Maybe a beaten egg cooked in broth. A baked or boiled potato. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/31 "2018-02-08T17:14:08Z")
This is a timely thread for me. I’m having major surgery soon and will be recuperating at home for about a month with little assistance. Just this morning I started a list of food to stock up on before the surgery. I know I’ll want liquids (tea, soup), soft foods (soft boiled egg, Jello), salty foods, and carbs. I’ll also have Ensure. This thread has given me some great ideas. I’ve added ginger ale to my list; I never drink that if I’m not sick, but crave it when I am. Keep the ideas coming! I’ll be feeling sorry for myself and will need treats. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/32 "2018-02-08T19:22:55Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > The first step is chicken boullion, from a Maggi cube. If it stays down, we move on to real soup and work our way up from there. > > For hangovers, greasy Chinese takeout is a must. I learned the secret hangover cure when I washed dishes in a restaurant when I was young. Au jus. They always had a pot of it heating on the stove for French Dip sandwiches for lunch. Forget the sandwich and just drink a large cup of au jus. Got the salt and electrolytes that have been flushed out of your system after a night of drinking. Really works. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/33 "2018-02-08T19:35:28Z")
I pretty much eat anything. If I’ve been vomiting, I stay away from anything spicy and stick to bread and clear soup. I’ve never had a hangover, so that doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/34 "2018-02-08T19:44:25Z")
Soup made from chicken, turkey, rehydrated garbanzo beans, leek, onion, carrot, turnip, celery, bones and lots of water. Boil 30 minutes in pressure cooker, strain and discard inedibles. I use the broth three ways, adding fresh mint in all three cases: just the broth when I have no appetite, soup with rice one day and pasta the next when I’m recovering, and all the ingredients together any day of the week. Serve the soup with chopped-up boiled egg and ham. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2018, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/35 "2018-02-09T10:37:59Z")
Are the bones from the chicken/turkey, or something else in particular? > [@Leaffan](#): > > Soft boiled eggs, mashed up with salt and butter, and served in a mug with a spoon. > > And soup. Any fairly brothy soup will work, even chicken noodle. > > Once I get a bit better, boxed macaroni and cheese, or what we call Kraft Dinner here in Canada. Dammit. I still want to know how this “mashed eggs” concept works. Do you scoop the whole thing out of the shell, and into a mug? If that is the case: Would poached eggs make more sense? ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2018, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/36 "2018-02-09T12:06:06Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I still want to know how this “mashed eggs” concept works. Do you scoop the whole thing out of the shell, and into a mug? > > If that is the case: Would poached eggs make more sense? If it’s what I’m thinking, I remember my mother _mashing_ my soft boiled egg with a fork before serving it to me when I was little. I think she did it so there wouldn’t be any chunks, so to speak? Or maybe having it _mashed_ was easier for me to eat it with a spoon? I suppose poached eggs would make more sense if you wanted to do that, but they’re also more finicky to master. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/37 "2018-02-09T16:08:02Z")
You guys are adventurous eaters when you’re sick. I’m sick right now and even the thought of 50% of these things (cheese, eggs, hot dogs, anything greasy) is making me feel worse. Ginger ale or a light broth for me. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/38 "2018-02-09T16:44:30Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > You guys are adventurous eaters when you’re sick. I’m sick right now and even the thought of 50% of these things (cheese, eggs, hot dogs, anything greasy) is making me feel worse. Ginger ale or a light broth for me. Saltine crackers. Ginger ale. Pedialyte or generic equivalent (this was recommended to me by a pediatrician who said he drinks it when he’s been sick with diarrhea). Once I feel a little better, chicken soup. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/39 "2018-02-09T16:54:41Z")
When I was a kid and had the flu, and had trouble keeping solid food down, my family doctor recommended the B.A.R.B. diet: Bananas, Applesauce, brown Rice, and beef Broth. A fair amount of nutrition, and relatively easy on the stomach. When sick, I also drink a lot of “nutritional shakes”: Boost, Ensure, or the store brand imitations. For soup, I usually prefer chicken and rice, rather than chicken noodle. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354/40 "2018-02-09T16:57:47Z")
Tomato soup for me. (When I first saw the thread title, I thought it was “Eating When III,” and figured I had missed the previous two "Eating Whens’.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-when-ill/808354.md?page=3)