since we seem to be discussing culinary brainwaves for almost five pages,

yeah, hate to cook....havent bothered to learn...heres something my mother tells me to do when i catch a nasty cold....but even the idea would sound obnoxious, so guys, brace urselves::::
well, she tells me to take a manjal kaai...the long stick like manjal that these mami's give in the vetthala paaku...n hold it over the gas stove directly, till the damn thing burns (itself and a bit of my fingers) n then inhale that horrible grotesque smell...nauseus, i know....
u have to do it with FULL FORCE, it'll burn ur throat right down n u'll cough all over the place, but sadly, ironically, it helps....
