Pineapples and Pain

Fresh pineapple salsa

Pictured above:  the beginning of a delicious fresh pineapple salsa from the great blog Two Peas and their Pod.  I love this recipe!  I could happily eat a bowl of it, with chips.  However, I put it over some fresh ahi that Mr. L. grilled (see below).  

However, I have a cautionary tale about making this salsa.  For the first time ever, I had a reaction to the jalapeno pepper.  A couple of hours after I made it, I noticed that my hands were burning.  I thought that was odd, and washed them again.  And again.  I had just done the dishes, and wondered if maybe the residue from the pepper got in some cuts, or something.  I dried my burning paws and (painfully) typed the query into google.  For Pete's sake!  I could not believe what a commonplace occurrence this is.  I have chopped jalapeno peppers for years and never once did they bother me.  This time, one little pepper, and OW!  


First, I tried some lotion.  Big mistake - that just seemed to insulate the heat.  I washed that off and next tried milk.  That felt great.  The post I was reading suggested that one should let the milk dry on your hands.  I tried that, but sticky, milk-y hands are completely impractical.  Besides, the burning started back up when the milk dried.  Another suggestion was Benedryl.  I was reluctant to try that, because at that point I'd had a glass and a half of wine, and figured the combination was probably a bad idea.  Back to the internet, and this time I tried rubbing alcohol.  Ahhhhhh.  It did not completely alleviate the burning sensation, but it definitely helped.  


The best thing to do?  Wear food-handler gloves.  I EVEN HAD THEM IN MY CUPBOARD.  It's a good thing that dinner was absolutely delicious.

Ahi, pineapple salsa, rice and beans, avocados