We got to the farmer’s market just in time to snatch up a few goodies from a stall specializing in traditional Mexican herbs. We’d never heard of pipicha, papalo, and a couple others, so we scooped up quite a haul.
Once home, I chopped up a handful of each herb and cooked them down in a little coconut oil with carrots and zucchini. I transferred the cooked vegetables to a plate, then used the same pan to cook shrimp (frozen, then thawed) with garlic scapes, onion, white wine and coconut oil.
Meanwhile, I tasted the veggies I’d already made. They had a very distinct smell and taste that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. It was just totally… repulsive, for lack of a better word. B thought they tasted fine and was happy eating them, so we chopped up some new vegetables and cooked them in a new pan. But…we made the mistake of using the same knife and cutting board. We also didn’t think about cooking the shrimp in the same pan we’d cooked those herbs in.
I put together a nice little plate with quinoa, the veggies, and herbed goat cheese, and went out onto the porch to get a pretty shot of it!
We settled in to watch Orange Is The New Black during dinner. I tried the vegetables; that same horrible taste was there. I tried the shrimp and gagged. My stomach was churning. I felt dizzy. I noticed a prickle of hives sprouting on my right arm. Obviously, something was disagreeing with me.
I went out into the kitchen to try and find something else to eat for dinner; we’d put bouquets of the herbs in glass jars with water to keep them fresh, and the whole room just… reeked. I felt bad about throwing away $20 worth of herbs, but B took them right outside and put them in the garbage. Even thinking of that smell now makes me gag! I’ve never had such a strong, visceral reaction to anything I’ve eaten before. Have you?
In other health news, I just had a hydrogen breath test yesterday to see if bacteria was overgrowing in my bowel after consuming sugar. Basically, I came into the office in a fasting state (after only eating white rice, plain eggs + plain salmon the day before… you did not want to be in a room alone with me!), drank a sugar solution, then blew into a tube every 30 minutes for 4 hours. By the end of the test, I thought I was going to eat my own arm…. I should get the results next week, so hopefully I’ll learn something helpful.
Have you ever had any strange allergic reactions?
