Artificial Intelligence To The Rescue
This evening, I had a Marks & Spencer Chicken jalfrezi with Basmati Rice for supper.
Marks put a green vegetable in the rice, which I’m not keen on as it gets stuck in the back of my throat.
So tonight, I picked it out with my hand before cooking, and put it in the food waste.
It didn’t make any difference to the cooking, but as I sat down to eat, I noticed that my right hand was going red.
As I’d never picked the dreaded green vegetable out of the rice before, I asked Google AI, if handling spices can make my hand go red and received this reply.
Yes, handling certain spices, particularly chili peppers, can definitely make your hands go red. This reaction is known as “Hunan hand syndrome” or “chili burn” and is caused by the chemical compound capsaicin.
That, certainly happened to me.
It might almost may have been worse for me because.
- My mother taught me to cook in the 1950s and she didn’t use lots of spices in her cooking. So I never learned about the dangers of spices.
- I have a leaking skin, which allows water in and out of my body easily.
- I have an immune system, like a platoon of the SAS on steroids.
So was this, why I was affected?
I then asked Google AI, “What do you do, if you react badly to chilli”, and received this reply.
If you experience a bad reaction to chili (caused by the compound capsaicin), consume dairy products (like milk or yogurt), acidic foods/drinks (lemonade or orange juice), or starches (bread or rice) for relief.
For severe symptoms like difficulty breathing or chest pain, seek immediate medical attention as it could be an allergic reaction.
For Reactions in the Mouth
The primary methods work because capsaicin is oil-soluble, not water-soluble. Water will only spread the burning sensation.
Dairy Products: Milk, yogurt, and sour cream contain a protein called casein, which acts like a detergent to strip away the oily capsaicin molecules from your pain receptors. Whole or full-fat dairy products tend to be more effective than low-fat versions.
Acidic Foods/Drinks: The acidity in items like lemon or lime juice helps to neutralize the alkaline capsaicin molecule.
Sugary Foods: A spoonful of sugar or honey can absorb the capsaicin oil and provides a distraction from the pain.
Starches/Carbohydrates: Eating plain bread, rice, or potatoes can help by creating a physical barrier and absorbing the capsaicin molecules.
Oils/Nut Butters: Capsaicin dissolves in fat. Swishing with a bit of olive oil or eating a spoon of peanut butter can help dissolve and remove the capsaicin.
For Reactions on the Skin
If you experience a burning sensation on your skin after handling chilies:
Wash the area thoroughly with dish soap and water several times, as dish soap is designed to cut grease and oil.
Soak the affected skin in milk or apply yogurt/sour cream.
You can also try a paste made of baking soda and water, or soaking the area in a diluted vinegar solution.
If the pain is severe and persistent, over-the-counter pain relievers or topical corticosteroid creams may offer relief.
When to Seek Medical Attention
While a normal reaction to chili is an intense sensation rather than actual harm, a true allergy can be serious.
Seek emergency medical care immediately if you experience:
Difficulty breathing, wheezing, or shortness of breath
Swelling of the mouth, lips, or tongue
Chest pain or heart palpitations
Uncontrollable nausea or vomiting
Luckily for me, a yogurt worked.
Conclusion
I shall use a suitable tool, like pliers or tweezers, when handling those dreaded green vegetables.
Virgin’s Better Offering On The Way From Manchester
In the seven hours I spent in the Manchester area, things improved.
All allergies were explained as they should be.
I also got two cups of tea and a Pepsi from the very good steward.
The ticket collector said he’d come back to collect my First Class Supplement. But he didn’t!
So I got it all for the price of a Standard Class Ticket.
Compare this with the outrun.
Virgin’s Poor Offering On The Way To Manchester
I travelled First Class up to Manchester and this was my snack offering.
Virgin’s Poor Offering On The Way To Manchester
It was obviously not gluten-free and there was no allergy information on the packet, as there should be now.
Compare this with the return.
Why Would Anybody Have An Exhibition At Olympia?
The only time in recent years, when I’ve seen any class at Olympia, was when I stood on a stand at a telecoms exhibition next to someone, who is now a peer of the realm.
Today, I went to The Allergy Show, but my troubles started before I even arrived. I just missed the Overground train at Highbury and Islington, so instead of waiting half-an-hour for the next train, I decided to go via Victoria and Earl’s Court. I got to Earl’s Court in reasonable time, but then there was no shuttle train to Olympia. So I hsad to get a replacement bus, which somebody had saved from the scrapyard. At least it was clean.
When I eventually got to Olympia, there was an air of dereliction about the place. But it wasn’t any worse than I remember it, when we took the boys to the Christmas Horse Show in perhaps 1971.
John Betjeman would be summing up a friendly bomb.
At least I got home easy enough, but then leaving Olympic is much better than going!
Breakfast At Gatwick
It wasn’t that good, as the South Terminal doesn’t have a Jamie’s Italian like the the North one does.
I was in a restaurant, where I had some pretty good scrambled egg, but there were other things on the menu, that I thought, if they had been properly cooked, would be gluten-free.
The restaurant was also serving Aspall’s cyder, which I know is gluten-free, but they didn’t know it was.
Surely, if McDonalds know what contains allergues, it is not beyond the wit of any restaurant to do the same.
So that’s one restaurant, I won’t bother with again.
Nuts May Contain Nuts
A supermarket is in trouble for not saying a packet of monkey nuts contains nuts. It’s here in the Guardian.
Marks And Spencer Make Allergies Clearer
One of my problems with supermarkets and ready meals, is that you often have to turn them upside down to read the allergy information, as with Waitrose’s fish pies. Today though, I bought a newly-introduced meal of slow cooked venison in a red wine and onion sauce from Marks and Spencer.
Marks And Spencer Make Allergies Clearer
Note the blue patch on the packaging showing the allergies. It’s getting there, but the allergies could be better shown still. For this product, they are cow’s milk. I’m not sure, but I think in the past it was just milk.
Someone at Marks and Spencer, has been thinking.
I’d also see a universal word or symbol for no allergies. Or perhaps for none of the common allergies, like fish, shellfish, gluten, celery, milk, mustard, buts and wheat. But then I’ve come across or heard of people allergic to rice, soya, chickpeas and potatoes.
Am I Allergic To Coffee?
I’ve not been feeling well the last few days and it reminds me of a time about thirty years ago, when I thought I got a mouth infection from a dentist. I had a very sore mouth and ate fairly soft food for a couple of weeks. In the end, I think the doctor gave me some antibiotics to clear it up. At the time, I also found that coffee seemed to irritate my mouth, so for twenty years or so, I never drunk coffee, until I discovered cappuccino.
My mouth now feels the same and for the last two days, I’ve stayed off the coffee and I’ve just been drinking beer, cider, milk, water and tea.
It seems to be getting better.
It’s strange that this problem has returned, but I have moved to London in the last couple of years and it so easy to get a coffee.
Is This An iBus?
This is a bus I certainly won’t get.
Is This An iBus?
As a real programmer, I’m seriously allergic to adverts an d especially Apple products.
European Union Creates An Awful Smell
Apparently, the EU is proposing to ban certain ingredients used in perfumes. It’s all here in the Mail.
If the allergy police were to ban anything, how about stopping gluten in food?
No wonder the EU is so popular with the citizens of Europe.
The Anonymous Widower 