Panamanian Hangover Cures for the November Holidays
Date: 11/06/2007
"Remember remember the fifth of November," goes the old celebratory refrain…and in Colon this is truly a day to let your hair down.
November 7, 2007
Panama City, Panama
If you'll be in Panama this month, keep this article handy. You'll need the very best in hangover cures by the time November's over. In Panama it's Mes de la Patria or "National Pride Month." Nov. 3 and 5 kick off the party—Panama's separation from Colombia and the founding of the city of Colon, respectively. The festivities last all month, and if you truly want to savor the flavor of Panama, it's one of the best times to be here. Learn how to party, eat, and dance like a Panamanian…while balancing a lukewarm Seco shot in one hand and a frosty Panama beer in the other.
And therein lies the problem, for no matter how old you are…17 or 70…you are expected to take part in the festivities and suffer in silence when it's all over. Look away for an instant and you'll find that someone refilled your glass. This year for the long weekend most locals high-tailed it out of the metropolitan area. We headed to the beach on Nov. 3 and to Colon on the fifth—after all, who are we to go against local customs?
Everywhere we went, bugles blared, local menus and the smell of street food enticed us, and children, children everywhere added to the hubbub. Saturday morning we were told to have some "hair of the dog" at lunchtime and keep drinking. On Sunday we abandoned the noisy streets of Colon after watching the Colon Day parade for a while…the bright sunshine got to be a bit much after a weekend of "keeping up with the Panamanians." Yesterday local papers, Panamanian radio stations, and people on their way back to work discussed the best hangover cures.
Rural Panamanians believe that drinking milk with Seco—a liquor that tastes like vodka— is best for avoiding a bad November hangover. Young adults say the newest fad is taking vitamin B-6 before a night out. Most locals swear by a morning-after bowl of sancocho, a "penicillin soup" featuring hunks of chicken, yucca or cassava, and other starchy vegetables. My maid's grandmother says to avoid caffeine at night and drink lots of coconut water on the beach.
The coconut water cure may be an old wives’ tale—along with the rest of these remedies—but it sure does taste good. And everyone seems to agree that a hearty Panamanian dinner of fried breaded Corvina (a light, flaky fish) with coconut rice, fried plantains, and sliced plum tomatoes is the perfect prelude to a night of dancing barefoot on the beach and drinking under the stars .
Here's to full bellies and full glasses.
Happy November,
Jessica Ramesch
Editor, Panama Insider
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