If you woke up this morning with a runny nose, sore throat, or headache, keep scrolling down and read about an amazing cure for the common cold you’ve never heard of.
Especially if you’re of non-Asian decent, you might have never heard of what we love to use to cure our colds.
Wanna know what it is?
Pho.
Type it in yelp and you’ll see all the Vietnamese restaurants that provide it. You’ll notice they generally have higher ratings than other restaurants. Definitely well known in a saturated area with foodies like Los Angeles.
But there’s a reason why its so popular – It’s amazing and delicious. If you ask any Asian or Asian American what they eat when they’re sick, they will come back with either pho or ramen or hot pot. This isn’t even limited to sickness but for even hang overs or recovery after a night out at a club or a rave.
Pho is basically Vietnamese noodles paired with broth, and usually consists of other veggies and herbs like onions, bean sprouts, cilantro, and lime, and meat (Could be something like brisket, tri-tip, filet mignon, or even intestine).
What pho does is it clears my nasal passages and makes me sweat. Its a very Asian style way of getting rid of something unwanted in your body in a natural and oriental manner. Bonus: Make sure you add jalapeño pepper to really get those sweat glands working! They make the soup taste amazing after you stir in the jalapeño peppers in the soup with a pair of chopsticks. They add an amazing kick to the broth paired with the lime. Packed with tons of nutrients and anti-oxidants from the green onions, cilantro, and bean sprouts. The lime gives a great kick of vitamin C which is necessary for recovering from the common cold.
Ever wondered why you see so many old Asians (especially Vietnamese) in the sauna? Because its good for you. The sauna essentially clears out so many of the chemicals that your body accumulate from all the food you eat, the liquids you drink, and even the pollution from the air you breathe. Sweating from pho essentially provides the same effect. Really convenient, especially during lunch time, as Pho restaurants are fast paced.
The recovery from pho is the same “asian holistic” concept. Its a natural means to rid of the bad stuff in your body.
A close second to the cure to the common cold next to pho would have to be ramen. Ramen definitely gives the same type of kick and makes your nose runny and sweaty if you’re eating the right kind. (Hint: Add pepper, chili oil, and whatever other miso paste the restaurant has to get the best spicy combination to start sweating!)
If only ramen wouldn’t typically be so oily and fatty (tonkotsu broth for all the foodies out there), this would be number one.
However, pho is a simple remedy that is number one on our list.
The Vietnamese have a life expectancy that is high up there given the world averages and diet is the main attribute to that specific statistic, especially in Asia.
*Compare to Cambodia, which is a country neighboring Vietnam in Southeast Asia with similar conditions*
Vietnam is also essentially like a third world country, both Vietnam and Cambodia with different conditions as compared to the U.S.
Cut out the medicine like Tylenol and NyQuil – start the shift over to more traditional ways of being healthy.
The numbers don’t lie.