Drano Drops
August 26, 2008|
Submitted by Eric Daniel
I like breathing. Call me a wimp, but the fact is, I’m not worth a flip during the day if I can’t breathe. Well, one day, when I was feeling particularly sickly and stuffed up on a trip to The Netherlands I was introduced to Fisherman’s Friend lozenges. The Dutch girl I was dating at the time said they were, “strong, drop strong.” Now, for those of you uninitiated to the concept of “Drop”, the uncrowned national candy of Holland, Drop are a cross between black licorice and Clorox, with an emphasis on the Clorox part. Never in my life have I experienced anything more foul and disgusting than drop, but if she said these FF things were strong, maybe they’d unplug my nose and let me breathe normally again.
The effect was instant and immediate. Sucking on one of those little brown Drano drops cleared my nose right up and got me breathing again.
That was 1989 and Fisherman’s Friend drops are still a standard part of my field gear. I’m told they come in a variety of flavors, but the ones I keep using are the originals, which still do the trick. If you are looking to take them to the field, I’d suggest you hit up a drug store and get the tin and then buy packs in bulk and just refill the tin as you go. Be forewarned though, they are NOT yummie (unless you like Drop that is…)
Other essential British foodstuffs for your pack include a little jar of Marmite, some traditional Marmalade, baked beans, HP Sauce, Lea & Perrins, Branston pickle, English mustard, (British Caribbean) Encona hot pepper sauce and some Bassetts Jelly Babies...
Oh and Earl Gray tea.
Posted by: Mr.Sparkle | August 26, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Oh yeah, I remember those.
Nasty as hell, but they do the trick.
Posted by: Madrocketscientist | August 26, 2008 at 05:43 PM
My dad introduced me to these bad boys. They work but arn't to be used as "candy" like many other cough/sour throat drops. Giving us these were his way of making sure my brother and I really wern't feeling good or pretending!
Posted by: G-Dog | September 10, 2008 at 02:11 PM
I work outside as a maintenance man. Quite often I'll leave the shop in the morning for an "all day job" 2.5 miles from the shop. I make sure I have my lunch and all other gear,tools,parts,etc. b4 I leave. One day I needed a sore throat drop desperately. The ones I had, had gotten wet and were stuck together. Tired of popping the wrapped drop in my mouth (and spitting out bits of paper) I searched for something else. I do not recall how I came across Fishermans Friend Lozenges but I have come to depend on them. The paper pouches they come in are incredibly tough and can stand to several months in my pockets without disintegrating. But to be safe I've carried them in the tins of Altoids for years. Altoids being much smaller carry well mixed w/the FF wafers. It took a long time for me to get used to the flavor as I've never cared for black licorice since I was a kid. But when I was little Mom gave me nasty medicine sometimes for what ailed me and it always fixed me. That said sometimes it is neccessary to put up w/some "I don wanna" to get the cure. That's just part of life. I can deal with it on account of I AM A MAINTANANCE MAN!! ***Here's one more good idea for guys in "the trades". In my tool kits,parts bags,electrical tools kit,etc. I carry assorted fasteners-1.5" screws-6,8 and 9P nails-elect. parts like ground bars, those teeny 1/4" splice kit screws and all manner of small "gotta haves" when returning to the shop just is NOT a viable alternative. I use the rugged Kevlar nylon tool kits specific to the job at hand. They have pockets perfectly sized for Altoid tins. Small plastic tackle compartment boxes work well too. Zip Lock has a 2"x3" bag PERFECT for tiny machine screw stuff and similar sized items. I turned on the guys in my department to these w/free samples...never carry one when you can carry 20. ***MURPHYS LAW*** AND FINALLY for deep cuts from folding razor knives and the like and you do not have a BATTLE DRESSING try this: wrap blue shop towel around affected area and bind up w/black ELECTRICAL TAPE...at least you won't leak all over your truck on way to clinic for stitches. This happened to me tho I got took to ER and I got 8 stitches and 3 (((count 'em))) 3 weeks LIGHT DUTY at work. Sometimes gittin' hurt at work AIN"T A BAD THING!
Posted by: Dan Boxman | September 19, 2008 at 07:57 PM
Sorry...I forgot to mention those tiny 2x3 Zip Locks are in the 1st aid stuff part of any store anywhere. A coupla' bucks gets you a pack of 50. They call them Pill Bags. I got some in my kitchen "junk" drawer-top drawer of my rollaway and some in my truck. Murphys Law doncha' know...
Posted by: Dan Boxman | September 19, 2008 at 08:07 PM
Dan,
You're spot on about the durability of the FF pouches. While I pack the tin around to protect them from getting crushed, I keep the lozenges themselves in the bag inside the tin. This not only prevents them from turning to powder but also prevents them from rattling around inside the box, making noise.
Posted by: Eric Daniel | September 23, 2008 at 10:38 AM
They are awful and made me sicker. I hate it here.
Posted by: John | November 22, 2008 at 10:26 PM