So John was sick, and now I am not feeling so great either. Clearly it is time for an abundance of invalid food.

Soba in broth

veg broth (water; vegetables)
soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
mirin (if you have any)
sriracha or other hot chili sauce
soba noodles
green onion
maybe some cilantro, mint, or lemon/lime peel

First, make the broth. I was fortunate enough to have frozen some broth previously, so I just used that. However, making vegetable broth is easy enough even when you don't want to stand up. Just fill a pot with vegetable scraps, cover with water, and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Good vegetables to use: onion, carrot, celery, mushroom, potato, garlic, non-cabbage greens. Use the peels and roots along with everything else--just make sure you wash them first. After the time is up, strain your broth, pressing the veg with the back of a spoon to make sure you get all the flavor out. That is it. You now have a hot pan of exciting, effortless homemade veg broth.

Now is the time to cook your soba noodles. Boil a pot of water, add soba, and cook until done to your taste.

While the noodles are cooking, season your broth sparingly with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, mirin, and sriracha sauce. Be especially careful with the soy sauce and vinegar, as one is super salty and the other is super pungent. Taste and tweak seasonings until you're happy. Keep warm on a low burner until your noodles are cooked.

Drain the noodles, throw them into your hot spicy broth, add a handful of sliced green onion, and eat it.

John had his massive bowl of soup and soba with some steamed broccoli. I just threw a bunch of florets into the leftover simmering soba water, put on the lid, and let cook for maybe three or four minutes. Voila: lovely broccoli.

We also had sliced nectarine, which you know how to make. 1. Get nectarine. 2. Slice. 3. Eat.

When you're all done with your invalid food, lie pitifully in bed reading books and watching videos on your laptop until you feel better.