I'm So Happy But I Can't Stop Crying

I made a rather outstanding jambalaya last night with 2 pounds of shrimp, a pound of chorizo and a whole lotta rice. I boiled the raw shrimp in Louisiana hot seafood boil spices that came in a neat little packet. Dump in pot, add water, boil. This seemed like a simple project until the shrimp were done and I realized I had to peel them.

Shrimp are nasty and creepy looking, but they do taste good. I’ve never liked peel and eat shrimp; to me, it is like sitting down to a big plate of juicy, chitinous insects and dismantling them before devouring them in a single bite. Ew. So usually I buy my shrimp pre-cooked, de-veined, un-shelled and properly neutered, thus missing out on a wonderful Cajun tradition, but this time, I bought the suckers raw. They had split shells and were already de-veined, so I can’t claim to have gone full bore, but I did pull their legs and shells off. I say again, ew.

This explains why my eyes hurt like a sonofabeeyatch today. I washed my hands several times, but apparently the pepper oil (if I knew how to make that a link to Belfry, The, I would) did not wash off, because this morning when I tried to put in my contacts I was in for a painful and long-lasting surprise.

Lesson learned: next time, wear gloves.

“Now we know!” said the stupid children.
“And knowing is half the battle,” answered Duke with serene condescension.