Jeeves, and the Art of Curing the Hangover
Jeeves, valet to Bertie Wooster, is one of the most renowned characters of English fiction. How did he garner fame and notoriety? Well, it all began on the day that Bertie hired him in the first of P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories. Jeeves confronts Bertie's wretching hangover with his magic potion: raw egg, Worcester sauce, and red pepper. As Jeeves puts it: "It is the Worcester sauce that gives it its colour. The raw egg makes it nutritious. The red pepper gives it its bite. Gentlemen have told me they have found it extremely invigorating after a late evening."
Lo and behold, the hangover vanished. Bertie attests: "I would have clutched at anything that looked like a lifeline that morning. I swallowed the stuff. For a moment I felt as if somebody had touched off a bomb inside the old bean and was strolling down my throat with a lighted torch, and then everything seemed suddenly to get all right. The sun shone in through the window; birds twittered in the tree-tops; and, generally speaking, hope dawned once more."
It's New Year's Day. Chances are, you may need a little something with color, nutrition, and bite to invigorate you after last night. No guarantees, but this potion may help hope to dawn once more. I've heard of a lot of crazy ways to de-hang yourself. Emergen-C, pickle juice, Gatorade, Alka Seltzer, hair of the dog, whatever that may have been, Bloody Mary, sand, sweat…
What is your surefire hangover cure for those of us without a Jeeves waiting in the wings?
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35 Comments:
Currently my hangover cure is Thai Green Chicken Soup and a slice of homemade bread. Tis delicious.
nibblepig at 8:32AM on 01/01/09
Breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds.
redfish at 8:43AM on 01/01/09
A bottle of the Fruit Punch Vitaminwater (loaded with B-vitamins) and 1 or 2 Sausage Egg Mcmuffins (or something equally suitable).
beersnob at 9:05AM on 01/01/09
Egg sandwich, multivitamin and a big coke, super cold,
crushed ice if possible. Coca Cola, in the right situations, is truly
miraculous.
louclakat at 9:18AM on 01/01/09
Gatorade really does work like a champ for me. Luckily, I'm not in need of it today, because I forgot to pick any up.
I have a friend who has a hangover plan that is for the full day - pancakes for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and Taco Bell for dinner. I guess it works on the "What does not kill us makes us stronger" principle.
trillian42 at 9:30AM on 01/01/09
Greasy egg sandwich, fried potatoes and a large coffee. Taking aspirin before bed helps immensely.
BurgerConquest at 10:01AM on 01/01/09
Some exercise, and a meal with lots of carbs. The exercise bit is bad with a hangover of course, but as long as you work up a good of a sweat, your brain releases endorphins. Also, it hopefully makes you a little hungry, enough that the idea of eating no longer turns your stomach. The carbs fill you up and bring up your blood sugar a bit. This is a little more effort than a raw egg with Worcester and pepper, but it's never failed to make me feel better.
Nicholas H at 10:09AM on 01/01/09
Pho and a little laydown on a comfy couch with a soft throw.
wookie at 10:20AM on 01/01/09
McDonalds with a coke. Never fails.
mmclau28 at 10:30AM on 01/01/09
Leftover Chinese and 12 hours of bowl games. Go Gators!!
finsbigfan at 10:33AM on 01/01/09
Hydration is key. I go with Pedialyte if it's really horrid. Otherwise, my go-to dish for feeling awful is always a big, steaming bowl of pho or shio ramen. And I'm totally with wookie on the comfy couch addition.
missginsu at 10:38AM on 01/01/09
Apparently there is no scientific evidence that supports ANY cure for hangovers. See http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/dec17_2/a2769.
"Thus, the most effective way to avoid a hangover is to consume alcohol only in moderation or not at all."
jamieforrest at 10:48AM on 01/01/09
Hydration, followed by caffeine and aspirin (if necessary). Then something savory and a little spicy. Chicken tikka masala is good here, but an egg sandwich with a slice of habanero cheddar cheese works too.
Amandarama at 11:12AM on 01/01/09
Diet Pepsi, please!
dhorst at 11:22AM on 01/01/09
Wake up and continue to drink. ;)
LizSherman at 12:08PM on 01/01/09
An ounce of prevention, in the form of two tylenol and a glass of water, followed by an after party glass of water or two tamps down my head squinches.
meascanbe at 12:11PM on 01/01/09
pho, pho and more pho
vinnyger at 1:00PM on 01/01/09
@meascanbe, tylenol is probably the worst thing you could take after drinking alcohol! that's like doing double damage to your liver...
cervisiam at 1:03PM on 01/01/09
Before I blogged burgers here at SE/AHT, I blogged science for Wired. One morning I found myself in need of a hangover cure and it got me thinking: just what is a hangover? Here's the story: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2007/12/the-morning-after.html#more
Damon Gambuto at 5:29PM on 01/01/09
i use bitters and soda works very good
johnney47 at 5:59PM on 01/01/09
moderation and then aspirin and big glass of water before bed
elaine nan at 8:33PM on 01/01/09
I usually pass out before I drink enough to get a hangover. True story. I'll wake up and be like, "What happened? Oh, yeah..." A big glass of water and food usually helps (I never drink unless I have something in my stomach first).
missmanders at 10:47PM on 01/01/09
just the thought is enough to keep me from overindulgence. (i have a good memory)
I am going to try some of these remedies on my poor unsuspecting husband next time he feels the need to imbibe. He will think that I am up to something since I am not the sympathetic type ;-) I am better at receiving than giving in that dept.
passion4eating at 1:06AM on 01/02/09
more beer
Traci7822 at 4:01AM on 01/02/09
Has anyone actually tried the Jeeves remedy?
ontherok at 9:28AM on 01/02/09
I go for lots of coffee, a long and vigorous walk, 1/2 a grapefruit and a chocolate croissant.
gammypie at 10:10AM on 01/02/09
The sad truth is--for me, at least--that NOTHING WORKS. Scientific opinion generally concurs. I wish to God that they weren't, (I'm on Day Two of NYE-related suffering), but it looks as though hangover "cures" are just old wives' tales.
Michele Humes at 10:37AM on 01/02/09
The best cure is prevention: plenty of water with your booze the night before.
The morning after: fluids, tylenol (if the alchohol's out of your system), a little B-complex, caffeine (if you normally so indulge, otherwise it can exacerbate a headache), and carbohydrates.
chevalier at 1:49PM on 01/02/09
Get up in the middle of the night and drink a half gallon of water.
Get up later and pee for a half an hour.
Repeat as necessary.
/Or just drink enough to get silly, not drunk.
Mooner at 8:32PM on 01/02/09
Found this out by accident -- large lemon iced tea Snapple, XXX Vitamin Water, and a streetcart bacon-egg-and-cheese. Works wonders. =)
kfarrel3 at 12:31AM on 01/03/09
Usually I try not to sleep before I feel a bit sober (dance it off!), so I dont wake with a giant knot on my head (aka:hangovers). But if I do, a big tall glass of sweet ice tea, and depending on how bad the hangover is, Sour Sally frozen yoghurt (like Pinkberry's), or greasy fried rice usually works like a charm.
nindi_18 at 1:12AM on 01/05/09
Prevention is key. Fill your gut before consuming. A large pizza works well.
If you forgot the prevention part, Alka Seltzer cold medicine (fizzy pill) works good, and if all else fails, rehydrate your system with Gatorade or some hair of the dog (in moderation this time).
UncleVic at 2:19AM on 01/05/09
i can't believe nobody has mentioned pot yet.
pkarlisc at 2:32PM on 01/06/09
What ho, a good dose of Buck-U-Uppo will do the trick. If not, double-pepperoni pizza!
Stushi at 5:26PM on 01/06/09
I'm with Uncle Vic on this one - prevention *is* key. I pull the trigger before bed. In fact, I managed to, erm... "tag" every Oxford college during my time there and I never once woke up hungover.
shoneyjoe at 5:04AM on 01/07/09