The 8Asians.com Writers Talk About: Asian Hangover Cures

By Guest Writer | Friday, September 12, 2008 | 4 Comments

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Our internal e-mail lists have us discussing all kinds of stuff: Asian American identity, representation in the media, the experiences of activism in an academia setting and its progression as we transition to the working, adult world. And sometimes, we talk about food that takes you out of all-night benders.

Efren: I was hanging out with a friend down in LA over the weekend, and he introduced me to the wonders of “Korean hangover soup” in K-town (Olympic and Catalina, but the sign is in Korean which I couldn’t understand). Not that I was hung over, but it was tasty nonetheless… Anyways, it just got me thinking of other hangover cures that Asians use — and being the teetotaler that I am, I don’t know any Filipino ones (sigh).

Jen: I think you must’ve had the “hae-jang gook“, the Korean hangover soup. I don’t know if you know this but unless you ask otherwise, this hangover soup cure usually comes with coagulated blood! (Methinks cow) I think that’s how it’s supposed to be good for hangovers; blood has iron in it, it’s “good” for you after you’ve inundated your body with alcohol. Another common Korean hangover cure is more soju in the morning.

Efren: Yeah, that’s what I had — with cow blood, and it was really good. Considering that I don’t have problems eating blood, since there is a Filipino dish with pork blood, offal and pork called dinuguan (otherwise known as chocolate meat which I found disgusting) that I’m used to, the hangover soup was pretty good. It was funny that the restaurant in LA K-town just called it “Korean hangover soup” and not the Korean transliteration. More soju in the morning would be good too.

Min Jung: Koreans know no hangover cure. It’s a lie. They just drink again the next night to cover any pain they experience.

Anonymous male: Asians experience hangovers? Since when?

Andy: My Mom was a major lightweight, so she never drank. But my Dad, the alcoholic, told me to drink V8 (I know it’s not Asian, but we did buy it in bulk at Costco… that’s Asian) or chrysanthemum (sp?) drink. I think the V8 works really well… the Chrysanthemum less so. I rarely get headaches when I’m hungover, I just throw up a shit load. In that case, I eat congee.

akrypti: Nothing helps on a hangover like Denny’s breakfast platters. If you’ve still got a grudge against Denny’s because they discriminate against Asians, then any Americana diner will do.

What are your solutions for getting past the morning after?
(Flickr photo credit: Kevin Briody)

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