Hummingbirds and Hiccups

We all have our cures for hiccups that work with varying reliability. Some drink a cup of water upside down. Others swear that a fright works. I usually try holding my breath until the hiccups stop. Patrick, our guide, told us that Mexicans have the only guaranteed cure, and we saw it work when we went to his house for lunch one day.

It was my favourite day of the trip, because Patrick was in his own environment and utterly relaxed. His girlfriend, Gabi, made lunch for us while we sat on the balcony of his bushland home. Patrick spends his spare time coaxing birds to his property and talking at schools, trying to encourage kids to enjoy birds rather than using them for slingshot practice. He was particularly proud of a rare variety of hummingbird that frequented his feeders and wanted me to get a photo with my camera.

He named each breed that appeared, including various types of hummingbirds, a Bluejay family and some magpie-like pests. I spent a couple of hours with my camera trained on the target bird’s favourite haunts, trying to get the perfect shot. While I don’t share Patrick’s fascination passion for ornothology, I really enjoyed being part of his world for a time and I did get some great amateur shots.

Lunch was served in a room with windows on three sides. Gabi explained that the habanero sauce for the chicken and corn soup was extremely hot, then stirred two teaspoonsful into her bowl. The corn must have been a variety we hadn’t tried yet because the kernels were more like chic peas. The soup was delicious, but as I wondered if I should add a little more chilli sauce Gabi began hiccuping violently and I was glad that I’d only taken one teaspoonful.

Patrick swung into action, determined both to help his girlfriend and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Mexican hiccup cure. Gabi waved her hands in defiance at first, but dutifully tipped her head back and held her mouth open while he squeezed a lime directly onto her tonsils. Almost immediately, she grabbed his hand to stop him squeezing and sat forward, gulping the juice down.

‘See,’ said Patrick. ‘No more hiccups.’

Gabi gave him a hiccup-free, mock glare, then went to get a new bowl to serve herself soup without chilli sauce.

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