Cornmeal Porridge and C-Sections

After my emergency C-section, my mom and aunt insisted that I needed to eat cornmeal porridge “for a minimum of two weeks” in order to heal properly. Yes, you heard me right. Apparently, bedrest, grade-A drugs and my body’s natural ability to heal after an injury wasn’t enough. The silver bullet to healing quickly after surgery is cornmeal porridge. If your family isn’t from the Caribbean, my family’s belief in cornmeal porridge as a post-surgery “must-do” probably sounds weird and back-woodsy. However, if any of your family members hail from the “West Indies”, you’re probably nodding your head and chuckling with total understanding and familiarity. You have probably suffered through drinking home brewed senna tea and receiving a daily dose of cod liver oil as a child. All of the foods, drinks and tinctures you were exposed to were viewed as having mythical healing or protecting powers. But as I sat at our kitchen island, obediently sipping my cornmeal porridge and actually feeling a bit better, I wondered if their beliefs were myths after all.

Are there any foods with superpowers in your culture?