Aside from the fact that Lucca’s Jewish maternal grandma is a vegan animal rights activist (which is a whole cultural group in it’s own), “bubbe’s” chicken soup has been trumped by avó’s (Grandma in Portuguese, for Lucca’s paternal grandma) Brazilian cha (tea), simply because it works better to fend off the common cold, or flu, or whatever that tickling in your throat signifies when you say, “uh oh, what can I do so I don’t wake up sick tomorrow!”
But how to get someone to try a new approach to problem solving? Imagine the parallel to engagement and inclusion at a business meeting. Someone comes in, says “I won’t shake your hand; I think I’m coming down with a cold.”
“Oh,” someone will say, you have to get in bed with some chicken soup,” or “O’Malley’s down the street has great soup specials for lunch.”
What if someone said “in my country we drink a tea with garlic, cloves, lemon, and honey.”
You might hear a round of “that sounds disgusting!” as the new idea is dismissed.
But, it works!
Ingredients:
3-4 Garlic cloves, peeled and cut into chunks (or smashed)
handful of cloves
couple of lemons cut into quarters and sqeezed
water to cover
honey to at least make the taste bearable
Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Steep for a few minutes, strain into a cup. Get under the covers and sip, as hot as possible, last thing before you go to sleep. And, Voila, you are ready for work or school or whatever in the morning!
According to the NYTimes Blog, Chicken Soup may have more medicinal value than over the counter drugs, but BBC-News cites an actual study suggesting documented proof of the power of garlic to stave off a cold. According to UCLA, clove “contains eugenol which is an effective local anesthetic” which can help soothe a sore throat. Lemon juice has vitamins to help boost your immune system, and honey is a great energy booster to wake up refreshed in the morning.
I still get the wrinkled brow “I may try that” response when I suggest this old Brazilian tea recipe when someone’s coming down with a cold, just as I probably responded the first time my husbanded suggested it, but now I’m a proven follower, with documented proof it works!
