I hope everyone had a great Cinco de Mayo. As I write this, those of you on the West Coast and Mexico are probably still celebrating. I’m with you in spirit!

For most of my adult life, I thought May 5th marked Mexico’s independence. In truth, May 5th marks Mexico’s military victory over an invading French army in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

In the States, we have a knack for turning momentous occasions into excuses for drinking. Not that there’s anything wrong with that- but sometime between the shots of tequila, take a moment to celebrate the men and women who shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for their land. It’s a good time to get to know a piece of our neighbor country’s history.

I think it’s really awesome how the States is so culturally diverse that we celebrate another country’s holidays nationwide. I don’t imagine there are many US-American Independence Day celebrations outside the the US, but if there were, I would hope those celebrating would take some time to learn why we celebrate the Fourth of July. And, of course, I would hope that they enjoy themselves. 🙂

That said, you’ll probably be too hungover to look up Battle of Puebla in Wikipedia in the morning, or to even look at a plate of nachos without getting ill. You, sir, need a hangover cure.

Nature’s Gatorade

Rachelle at itsrayshelle.com (It’s Ray-Shell, not Rah-Shell, get it?) shares her tip for nursing a hangover- coconut milk. Since I have immediate access to fresh coconuts in Southern China, I was able to try this trick one miserable Saturday morning. I can confirm that this works. It’s tasty, plus it’s hard to not imagine yourself on a beach in Acapulco while you sip ice-cold coconut milk from a shell.

If you can’t get your paws on a fresh coconut (sorry, Seattlites), then I recommend another tasty treat.

The breakfast of champions

Any brunch menu will likely offer the best hangover meal. You know what I’m talking about – Eggs Benedict and a Bloody Mary. If by the grace of Gawd you find yourself up and out earlier enough for brunch, and the venue doesn’t have the above on their menu, get your ass to the next spot STAT. There’s nothing for you there.

The party people of Soho Hong Kong are serious about their late night activities- virtually every restaurant in Soho seems to serve an eggs benedict + pitcher of Bloody Mary for brunch. My kind of people, clearly.

If you just can’t with the brunch, here are a couple of recipes for you to try when you finally rise from your drunken slumber. Warning- you’ll probably fuck it up. Thankfully, you’ll practically be a living dead so it won’t matter.

Videos because, let’s face it, you’re gonna be way to hungover to read. 😉