I had an idea with dire consequences: Jalapeno pizza.
Tonight the missionaries came over for dinner and we fed them pizza. One pizza was chicken pineapple and the other vegetarian. I thought we could spice up the vegetarian pizza with a jalapeno, so we bought one today. Yet, as Sharon and I fixed the toppings together, the jalapeno completely slipped my mind. Both pizzas were about ready to go into the oven, so I left to go pick up the missionaries. In my absence, Sharon remembered about the jalapeno and faithfully cut it up, put it on the pizza, and put the pizzas in the oven.
Fast forward 30 minutes:
The 4 of us were enjoying delicious pizza. Sharon, on the other hand, was getting restless. In the midst of our somewhat awkward conversation with the missionaries, her hands started to become fidgety. Suddenly, she went to the kitchen and put her hands under the water, complaining of a burning sensation.
Fast forward 60 minutes:
Googling "jalapeno burn," seemed of little avail. Soap and water, milky water, cold white vinegar, baking soda, hand sanitizer, lotion, clorox with bleach, and rubbing alcohol all seemed ineffective in alleviating Sharon's burning fingers. Due to testimonials on various message boards we even tried saliva--no effect.
Fast Forward 60 minutes:
Two of our friends, Krista and Jeff, had unexpectedly come over to bring gifts for the baby. As we talked with them, Sharon initially was periodically returning to her bowl of ice-cold, finger-numbing vinegar as a source of relief. Being actively engaged in conversation with our friends, however, Sharon seemed to forget all about her fingers. 20 minutes later, she realized the pain was gone.
Turns out all it took to get rid of 2 and a half hours of pain was pleasant company.
