Eat, drink and play happy

My recent battle with stomach flu got me thinking about food. If you were unlucky enough to catch the bug over the past month, then you can feel my pain.

You can’t eat anything solid. So that rules out basically every plate lunch on the island, including anything from Mark’s Place or Ishihara Market.

But before I get into the details, I’ll stop because I don’t think you’d really want to hear about it anyways.

Instead I’d rather go back to happy times over the plate. When talking with U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Casey Watabu, he said eating something too heavy before a big match isn’t a good idea.

I definitely agree with the champ.

That brings me back to my days of hooping it up and what I usually scarfed down before a big contest.

Usually I’d try to load up on carbs, so I’d go for pasta, but not too much.

Another game-day ritual for me was heading down to the Deli and Bread Connection at Kuku‘i Grove Center for a pastrami sandwich.

Heading down to the Kaua‘i sandwich mecca then became an addiction before games.

Not only did I perform well, but it was just enough to get me through the evening’s contest.

Maybe it was just a superstition, but it worked for me.

Consistency is the key. As long as you feel energized and comfortable during a game, it may very well be the perfect dish for you.

Also, I tried to keep at least an hour between game time and dinner time.

That way, I wouldn’t be bothered with potty breaks at the wrong time.

I was always confused to see other players eating a hot dog right before the battle.

But I guess different things work for different individuals.

Some athletes actually don’t consume anything but water or Gatorade before a game.

That might work too, but you’d think they’d run out of gas because of the lack of proper nutrition.

Imitating what works for great athletes also helps.

Michael Jordan used to say he ate nothing but pasta, which was usually accompanied with Gatorade or water.

After hearing that, pasta was my new best friend.

Who knows? If His Airness found success, then maybe I’d at least attain a penny-sized type of help from the starchy substance.

So whatever you consume, don’t go overboard. Keep it simple and eat, drink and play happy.