rawktober: day nine

I've got herpes.

- insert awkward pause -

     Sheesh, guys, chill out! I can see you freaking out over there, desperately dragging your mouse towards the close button on this open tab before you catch the virus via computer screen!!! Eeeek!!! What I mean is that I've got the gene for mouth herpes- in other words, I get cold sores. Yes, they're ugly. Yes, they hurt. And Yes, it sucks. But no, they're not contagious unless you also have the gene. For me, there's a few things that trigger my cold sores: stress, sleep deprivation, weather, and, of course, contact with someone who's got one. Since I'm obviously oh so painfully single at the moment, the first three factors must've set off these babies I've been sporting since yesterday! Wheee! ...not. Any of you that get cold sores know how big of a pain in the ass they are. I'm not even gonna start my rant. What I am going to do, however, is share a recipe for the scrumptious meal I prepared for myself this evening in honour of the offensive sprouting going on on my labium and of my sovereignty at the dinner table (aka life). 

Read on for the recipe as well as some tips on dealing with labial herpes (bro, I feel ya)

on fighting colds

When something's prickling the back of my throat and I'm feelin' foggy...

1. Warm water with cayenne and lemon

2. Miso soup, properly prepped*

3. Kale, pineapple, coconut green smoothie

4. Milk, garlic, and honey**

5. Home-brewed spicy ginger tea***

6. Crystallized ginger

7. Kombucha

8. Super spicy soup****

9. My hot water bottle

10. Ass on couch!

     *Boiling miso paste kills its enzymes, so what I like to do is grab a bit of ginger, a tablespoon or so of miso paste and a tablespoon of soy sauce, and blend them in a few cups of water or broth (depending on how strong you want the taste of miso). You can heat it slightly on the stove if you like, but do not boil! To finish, I chop up some green onion and throw in some wakame with a sprinkle of cayenne - yum!

     **When I was little and had a sore throat, my mother would boil milk on the stovestop and add garlic and honey to it. As a vegan, I can imagine that it would work just as well with alternative milk (especially since dairy should be avoided when ill, anyway)!

     ***I love fresh tea. Sick or not, my favourite is boiling a kettle of water, grating up a TON of ginger and turmeric root and tossing it in along with a few sprigs of fresh mint, some lemons, and a generous pinch of cayenne. Ahh!

     ****My soups are pretty much all the same- a bunch of veggies blended together with jalapenos and/or cayenne (although I'll admit, one of my favourites at the moment has got to be butternut squash with orange juice)