Attack of the Reflux

I was recently sitting in my doctor’s office, leafing through some free phamplets. One in particular caught my eye: “Heartburn & Acid Reflux Disease”. DucCat has recurring problems with acid reflux, and a couple days earlier, he'd suffered through one of the worst attacks I’d seen yet.

Then I came to the page listing dietary triggers. I was so stunned that I began laughing, just as the good doctor walked in. In answer to his confused look, I pointed at the page, and said, “We managed to hit all of these in a single day!”

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It was the second day of the new year, and DucCat and I were going to catch up with some friends over a leisurely lunch. After finishing coffee, we readied ourselves in making a fine Southern-style feast.

Our first guest arrived with a bottle of Paul Goerg’s ‘Lady’ champagne, and plate of homemade fudge. We popped the bubbly and nibbled on the rich fudge until the others arrived.





They also brought champagne, another Paul Goerg, at that.

This was no lady, but it wasn’t bad, either.

Now, this lunch was no ordinary nosh- it featured the last of the summer’s barbecue. Lovingly smoked by DucCat for twelve or so hours, this was the real deal.

What better way to send it off than in the company of friends?



Pulling a classic side from Mom , DucCat made a simple cucumber-tomato salad, liberally doused in white vinegar, and sprinkled with crunchy salt.

You will note in the above photograph that my cue is sans bun. This is no ridiculous Atkinser-fear: I believe that the bun dampens the pure, rich taste of the meat, and I am all about purity in barbecue.

As we chatted and laughed the afternoon away, it became aparent that another bottle of wine was called for. DucCat mentioned something about a special pour he’d been saving, and raced upstairs to dig it out of the wine room.


The Domaine du Pegau "Cuvée Réservée" was indeed an impressive specimen. The nose was very spicy, full of pepper, and a distinct ‘barnyard’ aroma.

I sat and swirled and sniffed for several minutes before taking that first sip. The flavour was intense as well, rather on the ‘much’ side of tannic for me. At the same time, the feel of the wine was smooth and unctuous, and the lingering finish was a real pleasure.

The colour of the wine was very dark and inky in the glass, but once you held it up to the light, an amber sort of glow erupted around the edge.

Beautiful stuff.

This was indeed a special occasion wine, but one that should probably sit tight for a few more years, in order for those tightly-wound tannins to relax down just a bit.

Our friends departed, and we went on with our day. Later in the evening, DucCat had a piece of peppermint bark. Still later, he had a segment of an orange. Shortly thereafter, his reflux started acting up.

We went to bed, but his reflux began burning with a fury. DucCat got back up, and went downstairs for a hearty gurgle of seltzer water. This is the point when he (in his own words), started spitting out battery acid.

Let’s go over that 'dietary triggers' list one more time:

-fried or fatty foods (‘cue)
-tomato sauces (one of the ‘cue sauces)
-citrus fruits and juices (orange)
-heavy seasonings and spicy foods (‘cue!)
-onion (in tomato-cucumber salad)
-chocolate (fudge)
-peppermint (bark)
-drinks with caffeine (coffee)
-alcoholic drinks (champagne and red wine)
-carbonated drinks (champagne and seltzer)

Let this be a lesson to you, kids.