Yin up the Yang

Like yin and yang, it makes an awful sort of sense, doesn't it... that a man of healing ( well sort of ) finds himself paired with the man of a thousand ills, as he calls himself now. Although I'm hardly in the pink of health myself ( with my occasional bouts of infection ), in comparison Charming Calvin always fares much worse since he seems perpetually in the heated throes of an ongoing battle with nasty Pestilence.

Of course for a seasoned warrior of such bloodied skirmishes, Calvin has developed several peculiar though supposedly sure-fire methods of dealing with the terrifying Plague. Me, the wicked practitioner of Western medicine, I do my best with lots of fluids, hours of rest and the regular vitamin C shots.

Growing up as I did, I never had the chance to deal with much archaic superstition or dusty old wives' tales - since although my maverick grandmother did step off an outmoded wooden junk from China, she certainly didn't consider transporting outmoded hackneyed practices with her ancient dowry chest. Shockingly modern, this educated old lady - possibly one of the reasons all her grandchildren are wild unprincipled heretics.

Little disbelieving rebels all of us, certainly a far cry from Charming Calvin coming from hardy, ruddy-faced peasants' stock. Coming from this esoteric background, my man has all sorts of queer little ideas about food, associating dishes and the different ways of preparation with the ancient forces of yin and yang - practicing what I would call Chinese food therapy.

Like the names itself, Yin foods are cooling, while Yang foods tend to warm the human system. Together, Yin and Yang combined in balance produce the perfect balance, an equilibrium! Which is why at the moment Calvin avoids fried foods, hot curries and red meats, claiming the internal heat in those dishes would only help fuel the inner fire within therefore worsening his illness.


A little overdose of yin?
My suggestion for him to douse himself in chilly ice water ( that much yin certainly would quench any inner fire, wouldn't you think? ) was only met with a baleful stare so I kept myself silent to listen to his lecture on the venerable recipes passed down from his salt-of-the-earth forefathers. After all although I've been brought up with Western medicine, I do believe that all supposedly silly traditional beliefs have a slim thread of truth somewhere if you look hard enough. Why else would I place so much faith on that noxious black concoction ( supposedly cure-all! ) they serve in chinese medicine stores?

Ooh. Which reminds me I need to get him some winter melon and barley - though I'm curious what happens if it gets too cooling? :O