I'm battling a cold. It's a huge bummer because I'm sleeping all day and not getting any work done.

So forum participants, any remedies for the common cold? Any old fashioned stuff that you swear by? Any over the counter stuff you swear by?

-- Brad (brad@scriptbrads.tv), March 24, 2001

Answers

Sleepytime tea, Sunny D and pork rinds. I know it sounds absolutely insane, but when I have a cold, beyond the usual mentholated rub on the chest and rest, I have Celestial Seasoning's Sleepytime tea, Sunny D and plain pork rinds and I feel so much better.

Of course, it could be solely due to the extra vitamin C and plenty of liquids, but why mess with a good remedy by figuring it out?

-- Saundra (headspace@anywherebeyond.com), March 25, 2001.

If your throat is itchy, things like chips and popcorn and such (pork rinds, Saundra!) can actually feel really good on your throat. In fact, I had a friend who swore by Welch's frozen grape juice (reconstituted) and potato chips. She said that the combination was soothing to her throat.

-- pooks (TexasTrish@aol.com), March 26, 2001.

Well, that settles it. Pork rinds here I come!

-- Brad (javagirl@scriptbrads.tv), March 26, 2001.

I think the chips or rinds scratches the throat nicely, then maybe the acid in the fruit juice makes it burn and feel better- grape or orange! Of course, saying it like that makes it sound like torture, but I swear by it!

-- Saundra (headspace@anywherebeyond.com), March 26, 2001.

A bottle of really good wine. It doesn't cure you, but by the end of it, you really don't give a damn.

-- toni (toni@la-lagniappe.com), March 27, 2001.

So, what goes with pork rinds? A nice red?

-- Brad (javagirl@scriptbrads.tv), March 27, 2001.

Well, since pork is a white meat, I'd assume a red. You could get really jaunty and avante garde and go for a blush, though.

-- Saundra (headspace@anywherebeyond.com), March 27, 2001.

I dunno. I'd think if you're going pork rinds and wine, to stay culturally pure you'd need something like, oh, Manischevitz or one of those other grape juice wines. I mean, we're talking white trash cuisine, here.

Of course, one of my fondest memories is asking my f-i-l why there was a rabbi on his bottle of wine in the fridge. And watching him sputter, because he'd never NOTICED.

Heh.

-- pooks (TexasTrish@aol.com), March 27, 2001.

To really go uber white trash, you need to have les pork rinds with some white Wonder bread toast with margarine, and a bottle of Mad Dog. Not that I know anything about dining white trash or anything... *whistles and walks innocently into the sunset*

-- Saundra (headspace@anywherebeyond.com), March 27, 2001.