I chopped jalapeno peppers last night. Every time I've done this previously, I've worn gloves or used plastic so I didn't touch them. I've never had a problem. (They warn that the oils in jalapenos get on your hands and burn your skin, especially if you touch your eye.)This time I had 3 peppers to chop very finely, and I don't own food gloves and didn't want to waste medical gloves from our first aid kit, and I didn't want to use a plastic wrap barrier because it would be a pain in the neck with so much chopping. Basically, I thought I was smarter than all the advice. I didn't need to listen to it - I would scrub my hands very thoroughly and avoid touching my eyes. No big deal, right? I was very careful not to let Elizabeth help with the peppers, and I scrubbed my hands and under my nails four times in a row with soap and hot water afterward.
A few hours later, I felt the tips of my thumb and forefinger burning. It hurt too much to do the touchpad on the computer. I had a weird burning/itching rash on my hands and feet when I was pregnant with Elizabeth, and I was worried that it was coming back for this pregnancy. I started icing my fingertips and didn't think of the peppers at all - until I licked my thumb for some reason, and my tongue started burning! Bother the jalapenos!
I've washed my hands a zillions (okay, maybe twenty) times since last night, and my thumb is still burning slightly under the nail. Unfortunately, my stupidity continued this morning. I tried to put my contacts in. I know. What was I thinking? (That washing my hands twenty times and not sticking the contact under my thumbnail would be enough.) I got the contact out fast enough that my eye is okay, but now what am I going to do? How will I clean off those sneaky pesky oils from the contact? Will I have to wear glasses the rest of my life? (There's a reason most of you have never seen me in glasses!)
I learned another lesson today. Listen to them! Don't touch a jalapeno!
Those must have been really spicy jalapenos. I wonder how my Caribbean chicken marinade will taste tonight! I hope it's edible!
1 comment:
Oh, I totally did that a while back. The Norman’s gave us a huge grocery bag of fresh veggies from Jen’s parent’s garden. There were jalapenos in there, and I cut them like I cut up everything else. I never put my hands in my eyes, but they did burn for the next 2-3 days. I’ve never heard the advice about how to handle them, so I didn’t really know any better. I’ve eaten jalapenos in nachos and tacos before, and figured they couldn’t really be all that hot to cut. Fresh ones are quite potent.
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