Hangovers Are So 2014... (originally from Do317.com)

   

     While New Years Eve is an exciting worldwide event filled with camaraderie and good cheer, it also brings to mind a singular activity: drinking libations. As 2014 takes its final bow, many of us will be raising a glass, or ten, to welcome its successor. As we all know, some of us more than others, alcohol can lead to amazing memories, yet terrible mornings. Raise your hand if the toilet has ever become your best friend the day after drinking. Yeah, me too. The good news is our ancestors spent the past few centuries coming up with remedies, cures, and elixirs to make life a little easier for those of us that like to live in the present. Here is a list of a few hangover cures and their origins, some strange, some funny, some literary, but all worth trying.

THE FULL IRISH BREAKFAST

     “Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!” said no one ever after a night of heavy drinking. The Irish, historically and to this day, are known for their feats in the field of drinking. Their one big international festival, St. Patrick’s Day, happens to be the second busiest drinking day of the year in the United States. I know, it’s surprising it’s not number one, that spot is dominated by the day before Thanksgiving. (I guess people need to hate themselves for drinking too much in order to feel thankful for their families.) Nevertheless, the Irish have a grasp on drinking and consequently I have a feeling they have a pretty good grasp of the remedy. Start your morning with a big plate of rashers (it’s like bacon, but better), fried eggs, pork sausage, toast, fried tomatoes, and sautéed mushrooms. Add a pint of Guinness and you can consider yourself on the way to feeling Irish and cured. If you want to try this one on for size there are two Indy restaurants that offer up this dish, both with locations on the Northside and Downtown. Check out either Claddagh, they offer this seven days a week, all day long or Chatham Tap, if they are open for an early (meaning before 11 A.M.) football match (soccer, for you yanks). They serve up an awesome version of this and it goes great with one of their house made bloody marys, a hangover cure in itself.

PHO

      Coming in from the Far East, Vietnam to be exact (where it is already 2015 as I’m writing this) we have a delicious bowl of spicy goodness. Pho, pronounced like the first two letters of my favorite expletive, is undoubtedly my go to hangover cure. Whenever I wake up in a haze, my temples throbbing, stomach afoul, all I want (after the ibuprofen) is a big steaming bowl of savory broth, noodles, assorted pieces of some animal (I prefer chicken even though beef is traditional), fresh lime, basil, jalapeño, a bit of hoisin, and a healthy helping of red chili sauce. Chopsticks in one hand and soup spoon in the other, its time to dig in and enjoy the slow, spicy warming cure. This dish is gaining popularity nationwide, in Indy I’ve enjoyed it on the Southside and Westside. Despite the run-of-the-mill name, Egg Roll #1, located on Emerson Avenue, is anything but, and serves up my personal favorite pho. Another, K&T Deli, near Lafayette Square, is possibly the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the city and offers a variety of delectable cuisine. Now just to hunt down a Hanoi Beer, since hair of the dog is never a bad solution.

HAIR OF THE DOG

      A list like this can’t go without referencing this gem of an idea. Drink a lot all night, get hammered, have fun. Wake up the next day, regret those actions, and in turn repeat them to make life better. Simple plan, simple execution. Find a drink, or two and drink it. That is all. Though, some people believe it takes a specific drink to make up for the night before. I prefer something spicy, bloody marys are my favorite. I know, I’m not original. Ernest Hemingway, of writing and drinking fame, drank his choice cocktail, aptly named Death in the Afternoon. His instructions were, “Pour 1 jigger of absinthe into a champagne glass. Add champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.” Hem proves we all have our own taste, so please pick your own poison (I mean cure). Though many places in Indy offer libations year round, my choice for the first of the year is the New Year’s Day Party at Fountain Square Brewery, offering FSB Pilsner Mimosa’s, corned hash and cabbage and some live music featuring Hank Haggard!

CABBAGE

     Ah, see what I did there! Cabbage, from my research, seems to be one of the oldest hangover remedies and one of the most wide-spread. It was used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and I think there is a saying about doing as the Roman’s do, just make sure to let your mind skip past that whole gladiator blood-sport thing and a few other things. The good news is there are actually some scientific points behind this remedy. Cabbage has an abundance of phytonutrients that help your liver neutralize chemicals, such as alcohol. This is good for those vegetarians and vegans out there, throw in some other cruciferous veggies and some spices and get that digestive system back on track. For those of us that think animals are fun to pet, but better to chew, toss in a healthy mess of corned beef, sausage or any other fatty animal protein and you should be good to go. Remember, when getting rid of a hangover, fat means good. If you can’t swing by FSB, Shapiro’s Delicatessen, a staple for any Naptowner, has one of the best corned-beef and cabbages around.

MENUDO

     No, not the band Ricky Martin was in (though…that in itself requires some form of cure after a night with too much of it), I’m talking about another soup.

 This soup is not for the faint of heart. However, if you fancy yourself an adventurous eater, or you’re of Mexican heritage, menudo may be the cure for you. It is a spicy, usually very spicy, garlicky, Mexican soup made with tripe (aka cow stomach) and guajillo peppers. It is supposed to get rid of any level of hangover and leave you feeling rejuvenated. Surprisingly, this seems to have some science behind it as well; the mix of spices actually distracts your mind and your body. If you can get past the cow stomach, which is actually really good, it is a truly awesome hangover cure, or just meal. I must admit I’ve only tried this at one place in the city on the suggestion of a Mexican family I am a friend of and I loved it. It’s a large carniceria or butcher shop for those of us that don’t speak Spanish, called Carniceria Guanajuato 2 and it’s at 31^st and Shadeland. The first one is near Lafayette Square. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box and try this, but make sure and get there early (which may be hard if you are hungover), as this soup sells out early.

     Hopefully, you can utilize one of these “cures” as you wake up in 2015. Feel free to offer your own suggestions in the comment section.  Indy is full of wonderful remedies to even the wildest night out. Even though your first day of 2015 may be bit of a headache, hopefully this is a great year for everyone in this city we call home.

      P.S. In a pinch, a great hangover cure is a bag of plain potato chips and a bottle of water…and those can be found at any gas station or grocery store.

A City Isn't A Home, Until The Hipsters Arrive

     Indianapolis is my home. This is a fact that I have detested my entire life. Not due to anything terrible, I’ve had an amazing family life where I have been given immense opportunity and have always been supported in everything I’ve chosen to do. I’ve also met individuals from all walks of life that I consider to be lifelong friends. But, growing up in a racist, bigoted suburban town where I was considered an outsider for not caring to be a down-home country boy was not ideal. My close friends and I were scorned and incessantly teased for dressing fashionably and for playing music; for being into any cultural activities outside of sports; for wanting a meal to consist of something more than a burger and a Bud.
     That is until the past few years. Maybe I’m just getting more nostalgic. Honestly though, I think I‘m actually beginning to connect with this city. Indianapolis is becoming cultural. New restaurants, worthwhile restaurants, are entering the city monthly; this goes the same for bars. An array of microbreweries are popping up everywhere and creating stouts, pilsners and IPA’s that I thoroughly enjoy. There are burlesque-bingo shows and Shakespearian plays. Gastro-pubs are on the rise and while it is still a process, it makes me enthusiastic.
     I remember the first time I ever noticed my city changing. It was 2009. I’m sure it started before then, but that’s when it came to my attention. I started noticing places that my groups of friends from Chicago and New York would actually enjoy. The first, for me personally, was a little bar in Fountain Square called The Brass Ring.
     Fountain Square is just south of the downtown center. My whole life it was a place where one went for two things, to get drugs or to go duckpin bowling. In its hay-day it had been a little area for families to live, thriving with plenty of shops and also the primary theatre district of the city.
     Then, due in large part to the construction of the interstates the area deteriorated. The original immigrant residents, mostly German, were forced to move out as their homes were demolished which paved its road to ruin through the 80’s and 90’s.
But in 2009, it had become a haven for the hipsters of the city. One optimistic axiom about the hipster culture is it has a knack of taking destitute areas and making them “hip” again.
     This is what had happened in Fountain Square and to my knowledge it started with the Brass Ring. The Brass Ring was the first of the now unrelenting rise of pre-prohibition bars in Indianapolis.
     You enter the place and you’ve stepped into the 1940’s, yes technically its post-prohibition era, but you find yourself looking around wondering where Nucky Thompson is. There’s a piano to your right where on many nights a person is plucking away at the keys sending out jazz and big band tunes into the crowded bar. Behind the lively bar there invariably will be a relatively attractive hipster-esque man or woman pouring drinks in front of two illuminated pillars. A mass of alcoholic bottles rises up between the pillars, culminating at a mirrored wall. On each end of the bar a television plays Turner Classic Movies, without fail.

One of the many cocktails I've enjoyed in the Brass Ring, in front of the illuminated pillars.  

     The first time I walked in I noticed that this was different, this was not a part of the city I knew. I walked up and sat at the bar. A young man in a fedora named Jesse greeted me.

 “Hey fella, what can I get you to drink?"

     I was nervously scanning the rows of liquors to choose from. What to choose, what to choose?
     “You’ll need an old-fashioned for an old soul.” He said, brusquely.
     I nodded. I was happy here. People understood what it meant to drink and be friendly. Finally, after 22 years, I was home.