Since we got back from South Africa, Chris has already backed up all our travel photos from this trip, so when we are in our living room, we’ll have our photos play on our Chrome cast as our TV “background.” Many clear, vivid shots of the rhino we saw during our safari appeared, and every time it shows up, I admire what a pretty and cute creature it is.. and get angry about how the Chinese and Vietnamese people are poaching these innocent animals and randomly believing that their horns will be a cure-all medicine for cancers.

But while I was thinking this, I was also flipping through my trusted Cantonese cookbook today, especially given we are homebound due to the 9-degree temps we’re experiencing today, and I found an herbal tonic recipe for persistent coughs and mucus. It contains figs, apple, and “almonds” (the almonds are actually apricot kernels, hulled and unhulled). I looked it up on the web to discover that many people who had tried everything from cough syrups to lozenges to even prescription cough medications had no luck suppressing their coughs until they made this drink for themselves.

Maybe not all Chinese medicine is a fluke. Maybe I should even try making this.