Feeling flu-ish? What’s for dinner?

I’ve got the flu. Nothing dramatic about that -- judging from my Facebook feed, half of America does, too. But it got me thinking: When you’re feeling rotten -- runny nose, watery eyes, constant hacking -- what food makes you feel better?

I’ve got a couple of favorites of my own, depending on the meal and just how rotten I’m feeling. When I’m at my worst, and this may be hard to believe, I really don’t care what I’m eating. Seriously. I’ll make a cup of tea with Meyer lemon slices, honey and hot water (and if I’m REALLY rocky, I’ll pull my grandpa’s trick and add a slug of bourbon).

When I’m feeling the way I am today -- merely disgusting, not actually endangered -- there’s nothing that soothes me like a breakfast of toast with lots of butter and honey. Toss in a grapefruit half and a cappuccino and I can even approach “human” for a short period.

Dinners are another matter. I’ve got two favorite flu-fighters: the Thai coconut-lemon grass chicken soup tom kha khai (medium spicy please!), or a big bowl of Southern greens, cooked long and slow, studded with pork bits and spiked with a couple of good hits of vinegary Tabasco sauce.

Actually, just thinking about them has me feeling better already. Or maybe it’s the Robitussin kicking in. Straight, no chaser.

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