Ginger Coke

Liz has a new favorite breakfast beverage: jiang le, or ginger cola. Basically, you take some Coke, toss in some julienned or shredded ginger, simmer it for a while to cook off some of the water, and serve it hot (or presumably cold). She first had it yesterday at local luncheonette, and again this morning at the Hong Kong restaurant. It is not carbonated (the bubbles disappear in the simmering), but it has a definite gingery smack to it. In fact, the drink always has a big pile of ginger floating it it! I'm not a huge fan of ginger - I tend to like it if it is cooked into a dish - but this is tasty and feels good on a sore throat. It sort of resembles black coffee, so I guess it is an acceptable breakfast drink.

An American friend had a cold a few months back, and Chinese friend came over and made him some jiang le. "Chinese medicine," she said, "good for health." His reply: "but you've only had Coke in Zhuhai for like 10 years!"