WAKING UP HANGOVER FREE

When we go out on March 17th with the innocent intention of having one or two beers, be they green or not, we might find ourselves slamming down an Irish car bomb... which may slam the intention to be good right out of us.  Hello hangover and the nauseous count of how many “oopsie” shots we did the night before.

 

So in honor of the day... that is in honor of the Patron Saint of Ireland, I'm chugging through my Irish heritage for the one hang over cure that cured me every time... and another two, just in case I forgot about the first.

 

As much as I dislike the drunken chaos it has evolved into, I still love St Patrick’s Day.  If people asked me my favorite holiday when I was a kid, Patty’s Day would be it.  I grew up surrounded by Irish heritage; soda bread, beef stew, Irish Tenors, and the Fighting Irish.  It was fairly confusing trying to figure out why any of my family members rooted for Notre Dame, when no one actually went there.... but I digress.  St. Patrick’s day, as a child, held nothing but a celebration of all things hearty; big families with big hearts... and even bigger appetites for beer.  As the youngest generation, we grew up spilling out of our parent’s vans and watching as they hauled in cases of beer and more meat than any normal person could handle. We’d descend upon my Grandmother’s home with a furry of noise and joyous chaos that set her home apart in such a quiet, beach town neighborhood. 

 

Growing up with food, stories, noise and booze being the central focus of any good Irish family reunion, I was built with a standard party level much higher than normal persons.  In my family of green isle descendants, (only a handful of which have explored Ireland – tisk tisk), we knew how to have a good time, and how to ruin a good time by taking the party one beer too far.  It took fifteen sum-odd years to figure out that fun was fun, but chaos was not.  So yes, I’m guilty of partying too hard, but I’m also equipped with a strong sense of loyalty to my family as well as every cure-all for the common booze flu.  Both of which are very important, since I’ve come to discover family pairs best with a tall glass of Guinness.

 

If you want to do St. Patrick’s Day right, and still be able to get to work in the morning, I have a few recommendations. 

 

When you read this, you’re going to think, “but it’s so unhealthy”, and sure, it may be, BUT of all the day’s to get away with eating this, Patty’s would be it. When I was younger and filled with fiery spirit ... and spirits, I discovered Shepard’s Pie.  It’s like stew, but better, because it’s covered in a layer of mashed potatoes.  Who wouldn’t want to eat pie as an adult child?!  I'd easily wake with time to spare for class the next day when I started a boozy Patty’s Day out with a dinner of this hearty meal.  It’s basically like Kevlar for your insides. Take that Irish car bomb.

 

But, alas, if I forgot to eat Shepard Pie, then I’d follow my night of no-food-chaos with this.

 

Downing a glass of vitamin C pack, passing out, waking up to my dreaded alarm, and downing a different glass of Alka-Seltzer. Gotta love “Pop pop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is” running through your head as you try not to gag on the salty, bubbly, and a little chunky Alka-Seltzer.

 

Of course, if you’ve bypassed those stages of riotous bedlam and trust yourself to take it easy, you will be happy to learn that Guinness has only ten more calories than Bud Light, and doesn’t taste like stagnant pond water.  With 125 calories, 4.2% ABV, and an ability to fill a person up after two glasses, it’s a win-win for the more self-restrained of us.

 

Granted, these are not scientifically proven, and will vary person to person based on your lifestyle and diet, but it can’t hurt to share my love of St. Patrick’s Day and my unhealthy obsession with stew, Guinness and dark pubs.

 

See you out there San Francisco.

Lara