It’s the chemical heat in a pepper. It deserves your respect.
It was a surprising question at a Vietnamese restaurant.
Of course I wanted the jalapeño on my Banh Mi sandwich.*
At the first bite, I understood. This was no ordinary jalapeño. Extraordinary heat.
I went about scraping out the seeds and white ribs, the presumed culprits, using my right hand, returning the green pepper rings to the sandwich.
It was still spicy, but delicious.
But you know that warning you’ve heard.
The one that advises to not touch your eye after handling hot peppers ?
Believe it.
vanbytheriver 
I say from experience: Ouch!
It felt like a needle to the eye. I knew right away I’d blown it ! ☺
I can only have spicy food with a cold beer. Do you remember this scene from “along came Polly”?
I couldn’t get the link to work, Rob, but if it’s the Ben Stiller scene…I remember. ☺
Yes, it’s the scene where he’s on a date and eats spicy food and starts sweating profusely. 🙂
That’s the one. 😥 Thanks.
Oh, my, I believe you! Just touching your face can be bad!
We keep lots of Visine, eye wash products around. Lucky thing. ☺
We had some in our garden once way hotter than we thought. Hubby picked some, rubbed the sweat on his forehead and came running into the house like his face was on fire, lol. Well, it was funny to me!
Ohhhh…I pickle a couple of jars of jalapenos each fall. Don’t blow your nose either! I feel your pain!
Up until then, I only knew of this, in theory. ☺
So, I’ve learned through some very painful experiences … the spice stays on your fingers for hours afterwards too. In the category of TMI, I won’t share the details, but let’s just say some experiences that were supposed to be pleasurable turned out not to be not quite so pleasant. Hours after I had sliced a jalapeno for dinner. I’ve learned my lesson. I slice a jalapeno, I wash my hands with soap and water.
Oh, noooo….I think I’m getting a visual. ☺
Good tip! 😉
But…there was a bit of something in my eye…and I wasn’t paying attention. Lesson learned. The hard way. ☺
I KNOW. Been there, done that! Yikes. At least the sandwich was delicious 😀
It was worth it. I think. ☺
Oh oh…
I cook with it all the time and keep forgetting, touching nothing face and eyes.
But, it’s worth it.
🙂
It does seem to be worth it. ☺ But, I’ll be a lot careful next time. Or, I’ll use a fork to remove them from the sandwich.
By nothing I meant (my)
Spicy and delicious. I’m all over that!
Just so that is not all over you. ☺
Oh I SO remember making that mistake (touching the eyes) when I first began making salsa about 35 years ago! And I had washed my hands several times. The oils linger! 😮
Yes. Yes, they do. ☺
please don’t tell me you touched your eye? Wow spicy
I sure did. It felt like there was something in there, Lynn. And then…sadly, there was !
oh my!!!! you poor thing! Are you ok?
For sure. It was a few days ago. I was able to wash the pain away pretty quickly. I knew what was happening as soon as the finger arrived there. ☺
Yes, like a huge oh no moment! Sorry van, but you sound so much like me, or we sound allot alike. I slid in mud knowing oh no not good, wheel barrel came at me, lip messed up, now a bruised cheek, really could not hide that! the kids were like oh my, no more gardening mom, I knew at the time I was doing it, not a good idea!! Glad your eye is better!
Gardening mishap ? Oh, no. I can relate to a lot of your stuff, Lynn, especially the slips and spills. Maybe we just put ourselves out there too much. But, we seem to recover ok. ☺ 💕
Well, I told my daughter oh boy I am old, she said no mom, you are not careful! She is so right, the wheel barrel had a flat tire, I had just watered the garden, muddy! I loaded it up and went up the hill! DUH!
I get it. Take care of yourself !! ☺
you too, no more pepper fingers!
I believe it is a right of passage!
☺ Well, okay then.
My eyes hurt just from thinking about it. Ouch!
It passed. It’s all good now.☺ Thanks.
Ow! It is so easy to forget NOT to do natural movements, like rubbing your eye. Glad it is better.
I found that out, Nancy.☺Thanks.
I like hot, but not that hot Van! ❤
Diana xo
Same here, Diana. Especially in the wrong body parts. ☺
😉
Oh no!
😢 😢 😢
I have been there and it seems to stay on your hands for hours. Hot peppers are yummy though!
Yep. I’ve been told that the oils stay on your skin, even after washing. They are good. Indeed. Thanks, Antonia. ☺
Ouch! I feel my eyes tingle as I read this.
It was quite the lesson for me, Jacqueline. 💖
Ohhhhh nooo…….
That must have stung..:)
Like a bee/wasp sting into the eye, George.🐝 Never again. ☺
At uni, in my first flat share my flat mate made a chilli dish, con carne probably and I experienced it for the first time. Took my breathe away. I put my half eaten plate on the floor and the cat pounced. He too hadn’t experienced anything quite like this explosion of pain and spent the next few hours supine on the floor mewling and trying to scrape his tongue with his paws. I sympathised. I’m used to them now but they still seem bloody unnatural things to ingest
I grew up watching father and brothers challenging each other to eat the hottest peppers. Crying, sweating…I never got it, thought it was some kind of rite of manhood. As I got older, I appreciated the “heat”.☺ But, oh, that poor cat scraping his tongue. Thanks for sharing, Geoff.
Yes!! The last jalapeño I handled tore my eye up SIX HOURS later & after 3 hand washings. Peppers don’t play…
Peppers don’t play….great line. Thanks. ☺
I understand and am sorry for your suffering. I wear gloves to cook with peppers, but I’m still not thoughtful enough to keep tiger balm out of my eye (Yes, Moo, I will rub your shoulder, and Oh I’m so sleepy, and OMG my eye is on FIRE!) and I must admit to forgetting about my hangnail when squeezing lemons last week. I really am old enough to know better!
I don’t know much about tiger balm (but thanks for the warning☺). That lemon, however. I constantly knick my fingers, and don’t find out until I squeeze lemon into my water the next morning. Ouch.