taro is evil

thinking it would be neat to make something new for dinner, i decided to try the little taro balls that one of my teachers bought me yesterday at an unmanned veggie booths. another teacher told me how to prepare them, so i thought i was all good to go.

as i was about to peel these taro balls, i recalled my mother telling me years ago that taro is a skin irritant, and that i should wear gloves when peeling them. recalling, however, that the taro that we was referring to was not only humongous, but a different color from that of the taro balls that i got yesterday. i then concluded that these taro balls should be okay to peel without gloves.

i got through peeling all the taro i cared to eat, but it wasn't until about a minute after peeling my last taro ball that the furious itching started. both of my hands seriously felt like they were on fire. just think the hottest pepper you've eaten plus 10 mosquito bites within a very small area on your skin. that's how much these taro itches itched.

i got so desperate for a remedy that i proceeded to call every person i knew, gaijin and japanese people alike, asking for any ways to relieve the excruiating pain. i hit a point where i seriously just wanted to bawl my eyes out. it hurt THAT much.

luckily, the majority of the painful itching was over within a half hour of the onset of itching. let this be a lesson to all to always wear gloves when peeling taro!! because taro is evil!!!