So the other gift I got for Mother’s Day was the nasty cold from the baby. Who got it from Calvin. Who got it from an unnamed source. So I have my sore throat and am all stuffy and Lucy says, “I will make you ginger tea. Ginger is so good for you. Indians use it all the time.”
She took a piece of ginger, peeled it and minced it and put it in water on the stove to simmer. Then she went out in our backyard where we have lemongrass growing (who knew?) and picked a stalk of lemongrass. She minced up the lemongrass, added it to the pot and then took the pepper grinder and added some black pepper. After the mixture simmered for a few minutes she strained it into a mug, added a spoonful of honey, and stirred it in. Then she said I needed to inhale the steam and drink the tea.
It was mildly sweet and surprisingly peppery. The spiciness helped to numb my throat and clear my sinuses. She said another way to do it is to take warm ginger juice and pepper and put it in brandy and it works really fast, but she doesn’t like brandy. Just the smell of it makes her dizzy. And since we don’t have liquor stores here I’ll have to stick with the AA approved version.
I said I hoped that she didn’t get sick and she replied, “Madame, when I feel like I’m not well I take fresh coriander (cilantro), a little onion, several small dried chilles — VERY spicy, and a cube of chicken bullion. I drink it and it’s VERY spicy (and she runs her hands over her forehead and face like she’s breaking out in a sweat), but then I don’t get sick. I wanted to make it for you, but TOO spicy!”
I told her Josh would probably like it. “Ah, Sir likes spicy? I make it for him if he gets sick.”
Get ready Josh. Doctor Lucy is in the house.