Do not think that a hangover is a folk Russian disease. All ordinary people are susceptible to the negative effects of alcohol breakdown products, and the question of how to get rid of a hangover interests Europeans and Americans no less than us. How do residents of different countries cope with this scourge?
The Chinese, for example, save themselves with cold green tea with a spoonful of honey. Although, of course, they cannot be called heavy drinkers, they suffer more from hangovers because of this; sometimes three shots of vodka is enough. The Japanese consider miso soup one of the best remedies for relieving painful sensations. True, real Japanese miso soup is not a simple dish, and cooking it at home in a hungover state is pure suicide, but thank God, Japanese restaurants are scattered on every corner.
In Armenia – also soup, but a different one, made from beef legs, which serve as an indispensable component of our 'kholodets' (aspic). What is in these legs is unknown, but one of the substances that is a main component of gelatin, a mandatory component for making kholodets, really helps with a hangover, so as a snack, such a dish is simply invaluable.
In Italy, oddly enough, they save themselves from this scourge with a cup of strong coffee. Odd because, according to medical indications, drinking coffee in such a state is strongly not recommended. In the evening, during a feast – it’s possible, to relieve intoxication the same day, but in the morning to put extra strain on the heart, which is already working overtime, is akin to death. Perhaps the Italians have some special secret of coffee, or maybe it's genetics.
In France, by the way, they also drink coffee, but with a lot of salt. The English consume greens, mainly spinach, and eat plain oatmeal cooked in water. From a chemical point of view, oatmeal doesn't help much; probably it's more about the psychological confidence that everything is not so bad if a hangover doesn't prevent honoring the traditions of an English breakfast.
In the USA, the approach to this matter is even somewhat surprising. People go… to McDonald's. For a hamburger and a bottle of cola. Probably, this is a cure-all. Although seasoned domestic tasters have admitted that Coca-Cola really helps. How? From a biological point of view, it's again unclear, but the effect is still there.
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