I Think I Am Allergic To My Kitchen

~ Bitchy After 60

Is that possible? It certainly feels like it is possible. Is it one of those allergies that develops over time, after a long exposure? After all, I have been having to cook for what seems like forever. Since about 1969 after I turned twelve and my working mother could no longer find someone to do it, along with looking after us kids when her and my dad weren’t at home. It became my job. Have I finally become allergic to it all?

This allergy has symptoms. Typical allergy symptoms. Like sneezing fits in the kitchen when I am cooking, or after I eat, or when I am trying to clean up. As many as thirty sneezes can disrupt what ever I am trying to do in that room. And believe me, most times there is no pepper anywhere near my nose. Other times it is the filling of my sinuses, making my breathing a bit laboured; the thickening in my throat, followed by my constant swallowing and clearing to try to clear it; and the watering of my eyes. All of which occurred earlier today while I was trying to make pizza dough for tonight’s meal of smoked salmon pizza. You would think I was standing in the middle of a field of ragweed.

I am not known for having an abundance of allergies. There is nothing lurking out there that could kill me if I came in contact with it, except perhaps for a bear, or a coyote, or a crazy human being; but these things don’t fall into the allergy category. Ragweed, sulfa drugs, once upon a time, dust and mold. My allergies consist of pretty standard stuff.

A few years ago, I requested allergy testing because these symptoms were happening so often, but these days, they only test for the things that can kill you like nuts and bee stings; and although I have reactions to stings and bites, they are not lethal. So everything came back negative. I can guarantee you that they certainly don’t test for a kitchen. Yet these symptoms usually appear in my kitchen.

So, what if I am allergic to my kitchen? To the corner that houses the sink and my baking cupboard. Or perhaps to my refrigerator or stove top. Ask me how many times I have sneezed multiple times into the crook of my elbow while working close to these things. We are talking thousands here. Ask me how many times my sinuses have filled and my throat thickened. Too many to count. What would possibly be the fix for such an allergy? Avoidance, right! Would this allergy mean that I would never have to set foot in my kitchen again? Would it mean that I would never have to plan and make another meal. Wash another dish? Wipe another counter? Peel another potato? Not fucking likely, but a bitch can dream.

Thank you for reading. 

Photo:  Jenn Stone

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32 thoughts on “I Think I Am Allergic To My Kitchen”

  1. I just looked up house allergies after reading about your kitchen problems. Thank you for a whole new set of worries. :-)
    I’d certainly try shifting cookery to someone else in the household. I presume his knees are progressing to a stage where light housework is possible?
    Good luck with it.

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  2. If it means going out to dinner or having someone else cook? Then I might have to be allergic to my kitchen as well. 😉
    Allergies are strange things. I ate and loved lobster all my life… until 10 years ago and now I can’t. Out of nowhere, all of a sudden I’m allergic. The older we get the more tricks our bodies play.
    🥴

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    1. I could handle, but couldn’t afford, going out to dinner, a lot more often. My husband sometimes cooks, one of the reasons I married him, but he doesn’t cook as often as he used to and he is still recovering from knee surgery.
      Allergies are funny things. As I age, I am more and more allergic to people. 😏

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  3. I don’t have any kitchen allergies but I do have sneezing fits in the morning when I’m sitting in “my” place. I don’t know if it’s the morning, the spot I’m sitting in, or maybe the newspaper I’m reading that sets me off. I think you should hire a personal chef just in case your allergy is serious… you can’t be too cautious. Maybe your health insurance will cover it. :)

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    1. The kitchen is actually over 8 years old so I don’t think so. Our main floor is pretty open concept as well. It is likely some kind of food sensitivity as it happens around meal times when I am cooking or cleaning up. I do sample a lot when I cook. I just think it is kind of funny. I am definitely going to expect some major cooking from the old guy when he is back on his feet.

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  9. I’d be heartbroken if I was allergic to my kitchen. It cost a pretty penny + a little more to have it remodeled a few years ago. And I like to cook. Oh, I hope you aren’t allergic, unless of course you want to be.

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    1. Actually I don’t use any harsh products just a mild environmentally-friendly liquid dish soap. It is made locally and I even use it in my soap dispensers. But I am sure, if I used harsh cleaners, they would really bother me because I don’t even like the smell of them. I will just keep sneezing and dreaming. Thanks for commenting.

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