Christmas and New Year Survival Guide

Chocolate Etiquette

This is the time of year when sweets are flowing thick and fast, so you need to stay abrest of social mores.

1. Don't be a "Miner". You can't dig down for the nice gooey chocs until the current layer has been polished off.
   
   
2. The product description leaflet is not a thesis, and should not be studied as such. Make your choice in good time.
   
   
3. Whilst it is acceptable to bite and show soft centres, under no accounts say "Euurgh! This is gross! Anyone want to swap?" This sort of behaviour will simply not do.

Hangover Cures

Have you tried not drinking? Seriously then, I got these handy tips from New Scientist, and with a bit of luck they should see you through to the New Year. Here comes the science bit -- concentrate!

• Brandy & whisky contain methanol, which produces formic acid when broken doww in the liver; this is what gives you a truly wicked "morning after" experience. (That's wicked as is "bad", not "cool".) Try and avoid it, but if you do end up toasting the New Year in with this killer, this is the only time when it makes sense to have that bottle of beer when you wake up.
  
  
• Drink not just water, but replenish lost ions and sugar. An "isotonic" sports drink (like John Barnes kicks into bins) is the order of the day.
  
  
• Eggs are a good source of cysteine, which will form a chemical that mops up free radicals in the liver.