Patricia Agupusi, PhD
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A glass of kindness full of new knowledge

2/27/2025

1 Comment

 
My trip to Cape Town became fun when my adventurous friend visited. Immediately after arriving, she embarked on exploring everything about Cape Town. She comes back every day with food.  In my attempt at food adventure, I tasted a street-made meat delicacy she bought. Unfortunately, my stomach was not happy with me. I had terrible food poisoning for about a week. It started the following day. Initially, I did not think it was serious because I only tasted the ugly-looking white lamb head. Later, at a work event, it got very bad. Given my phobia of a dirty toilet, I had to leave the event. I thought the worst would happen on my way, but it did not. After this incident, I barely ate anything for the next two days.
I did not want to upset my stomach because we had scheduled a day trip to see the Big Five, and I had been looking forward to it. We set out very early in the morning. Everything was fine during the two-hour drive until I had a glass of wine on arrival. Immediately, my stomach went haywire. After a couple of visits, it was calm. I still did not think it would get worse. I had a small breakfast: nothing fancy, some croissants, an egg, a cup of coffee, and freshly squeezed juice. Before I could complete my meal, the food poisoning went full-blown. I stopped eating. Our safari trip was to start in about 45 minutes, and I spent that time in and out of the loom. My stomach had calmed down by the time we were about to set out.
I was relieved because the worst thing that could happen to you is wanting to go in a bumping safari van full of different people. We excitedly went straight to the last seat so we would be free to move around and take pictures. Immediately, we set out, and the rumbling in my stomach kicked in. I twisted most of the Safari ride. The long-awaited fun turned into a long nightmare. The bumping of the Safari Van made the already unbearable situation worse. I was glad we stopped for a break after what seemed like forever, but it was only three hours. I was able to let go and relieve myself.

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When we returned from the Safari to the lodge, lunch was ready, but woe betide me if anything passed through my mouth. At this point, I just wanted to go home. Missing lunch is not a big deal. I just wish for some sanity and a peaceful ride back. At our lunch table, an elderly lady, whom I later discovered was the main cook, inquired why I was not eating. I told her that I had food poisoning/diarrhea and could not afford to drink even water. She said I should just take flour and salt mixed with warm water, and it would go. I contemplated whether I should take her kind offer, as I was still terrified of taking anything. My nurse friend said it was a good solution as it contains starch. The lady went in and came back in about 10 minutes with a warm glass of what looked like milk. I thanked her, took the glass, and had a sip. It was salty. I was not expecting literally flour and salt in warm water, but that was precisely what it was. I clenched my teeth, held my breath, and drank half the glass of the homemade miracle stomach poison remedy.
Within 10 minutes, my stomach was calm. I kept holding my breath, but nothing happened. My nurse friend explained that the flour mixture works by coating, binding, and solidifying watery stool in the stomach, while the salt works to restore electrolytes. Later, she came over to see how I was doing and helped us pack as much food as possible since I could not eat. We left an hour later for a two-and-a-half-hour drive. I got home and still did not feel anything. I had bread and water. My stomach was calm. That is how the food poisoning/diarrhea disappeared without taking any other medication. Even though I was sick during the safari journey, I felt more fulfilled and happy due to this glass of kindness. 
The unsolicited help from the lady and how she did it amazed me. I learned a special kind of kindness and a potent home remedy for food poisoning/diarrhea. I experienced warmth and friendliness from Capetonians, but she was on a different level. It is interesting that in all the home remedies for food poisoning, this did not appear. My lady grandma taught me two great life lessons. No matter what is happening around the world, many kind people are out there.

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1 Comment
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6/30/2025 11:30:10 pm

Very informative post! Thanks for sharing such valuable insights. Keep it up!

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    Patricia Agupusi

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