Welcome to 2016, and your raging hangover! If the second part isn't applicable to you, we at YAMU salute you. For all of you who have the myriad joys of work and kiribath to look forward to on the 1st morning, may the gods have mercy on your soul.
Sri Lankans are known for their enthusiasm for putting a party, but to paraphrase the greatest philosopher of our time, Spiderman; "with great bothal comes great hangover". We've come up with some great ways to either deal with your hangover, or to try and avoid it in the first place. A couple of these are general good grandmotherly advice, a couple are Lankan-specific.
1. Put a Snooze After Your Booze
A lot of the common hangover is actually just exhaustion. Make sure you sleep for a solid 6 hours post your party session to try and give your body some time to recuperate.
If you're at a beach party, try to not nap on the beach. It may seem like a solid idea as the dawn starts to slowly spread, but will be a bad idea a few hours later when you wake up with a sunburn and an old man massaging your foot.
2. Art of the Roti Cart
Getting some serious carbs inside you before you start drinking is a great idea. You'll get horrifically wasted slower, and lessen the ghosts of hangovers to come. Bananas or other high-sugar fruits are also great for you, so a banana roti either before or after your drinking is recommended.
3. Thambili – King of Coconuts, King of Cures
Our favourite option is thambili. Whether it's a roadside thambili or fresh thambili all iced up, you're doing yourself a heap of favours by rehydrating. Stuffed to the brim with electrolytes and Vitamin B, thambili is a sweet palliative.
4. Drink!
Water, that is. Drink lots of water. This can't be emphasized enough. Two glasses before you start drinking, one glass to match every glass of alcohol you drink, another couple of glasses before bed. Sure, you'll need to visit the bathroom more often than a toddler with a juice addiction but it's worth it.
5. Tamarind
Apart from being brilliant in Lankan curries, tamarind is also a friend of the hangover victim. It's great for liver function, regulates your blood sugar levels, replaces electrolytes, and is also a proven anti-oxidant.
Use the pulp with some honey and hot water, or else hop over to rare and treat yourself to numerous bowls of their siyambala ice cream.
6. Isotonic Lime Blast
A limey coloured, locally produced sports drink, Isotonic Lime Blast was created by Peradeniya University engineering students in order to engineer a smooth post-drinking experience. Trust them, they're engineers.
Happy partying! And may 2016 be a lot wiser and less hungover than its predecessors.
