Day of the habanero

Publix had some pretty habanero chilis recently.  They were $5.49/lb., which makes them about a nickel apiece.  I picked up a few.

As much and as long as I’ve enjoyed spicy foods, I’ve not ever handled any fresh super-hot peppers, and at 100,000 – 350,000 Scoville units the habanero qualifies.

I had a good time.  I wanted to eat some of it raw, but I wasn’t sure I could do a whole one.  So, I cut half of one, chewed it up, and swallowed it.

Now that’s a pretty good ride!  I love the stronger habanero sauces like Marie Sharp’s, and the fruity blast of the raw pepper coupled with the strong heat made for a visceral shot.  Interestingly, the heat in my mouth and throat was intense, but short-lived.  Most of the “wow!” came from my forehead being on fire for ten minutes or so.  I finely chopped the rest of the pepper and added it to my sweet and sour chicken.  It was delicious.

It was in that fine chopping that the unexpectedly more interesting part of the experience began.

Recall I said this was my first time handling raw, super-hot peppers.  Well, guess what?  You should wear gloves when you do so.  If you don’t, then the juice gets on your fingers and stays there.  And it’s hot.  It survives even vigorous hand-washing because it’s not water-soluble.  I read something about vegetable oil, so I tried that.  Didn’t work.  Tried isopropanol.  Nope.  I may have just waited too long, and now it has to wear off.

Taking my contacts out last night was quite the adventure, as was trying to put them in this morning.  (It’s a glasses day—my first in months.)

(And the less said about my first post-habanero-chopping trip to pee, the better.)

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10 thoughts on “Day of the habanero”

  1. You can’t post about pee without getting some sort of response here!

    Burning with urination or painful urination (dysuria) , when not associated with a urinary tract infection, is usually attributed to bladder irritants in the diet. Spicy foods are one of the top bladder irritants, as you have learned. Just so you know, you’re not hurting anything “down there.”

    I usually tell patients that they need to decide if the pain is worth changing the diet. I suspect I know your answer 🙂

    Reply
  2. Try washing with Dawn dishwashing detergent…the original blue one. I accidentally sprayed myself with my pepper spray (don’t ask) and washed up with it. I had wash the area 3-4 times, but it worked great. Now, I keep a large bottle of Dawn on hand at all times.

    Hope this helps!

    Reply
  3. Dave, thanks. (Folks, Dave IS a doctor, but doesn’t play one on TV.) 🙂

    (Wow, this explanation is challenging to keep tasteful. I’ll try.)

    This was not what you mention, but instead a transfer of the irritant from some of the toughest epidermis on the body to some of the most tender epidermis on the body (i.e. an external phenomenon). I will keep in mind what you said, though, in case I do encounter that. I appreciate it.

    Chris, blue Dawn is legendary with motor oil, so it was the first thing I reached for. I think I just waited too long. I don’t think anything would help at this point except time. I’ll keep that in mind in case I foolishly do this again, though! 🙂

    Reply
  4. OK, gotcha. I was obviously thinking more internal than external, but I see your dilemma. Is it OK to laugh at you since you’re not my patient????

    Reply
  5. er…your hands. Coat your hands with oil before chopping the peppers. I just finished reading the other comments and thought I’d better clarify.

    Reply
  6. I had a horrifying experience with plumping lip gloss. In case you’ve ever wondered (as I’m sure you have) what’s in “plumping” lip gloss, it’s capsicum…the stuff in the habenaros…I put on my lip gloss, used the tip of my finger to tidy up the corner of my mouth and then proceeded to put my contacts in…or try to put my contacts in. My lips that day were full and luscious and pouty. The swollen-shut right eye was quite the detractor, though.

    Reply

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