Challenge 7: Corn

I’ve eaten some amazing food in San Francisco and around the globe, but I have to say that one of the best foods in the world is Minnesota corn. It is so good that it’s worth smuggling into the state of California (not that I’d ever do that, of course). I’ve likely eaten hundreds of ears of buttered corn in my life, and in recent years I’ve learned to spice it up with lime juice and chaat masala.

And then there are the tortillas. Living in San Francisco, that’s a staple part of my diet. There’s nothing like a freshly pressed corn tortilla. Corn bread and cornmeal pancakes are tasty too.

So I really don’t want to be allergic to corn.

On corn day, I made polenta for breakfast and brought an extra serving into the office to eat with my lunch. I was fine for about an hour, but as I was driving into work I noticed that my eyes felt heavy and that I suddenly felt very tired. My breathing became shallower and I started to clear my throat a lot. I think I even felt a bit depressed, though that could have been from the realization that corn was likely going to go on the back burner.

My symptoms lightened up after a couple of hours, just in time for my second dose of polenta. After lunch, my breathing was fine, but the fatigue was back and I found it difficult to concentrate. I can best describe it as feeling weighted down.

I ended the evening with an ear of boiled corn. It wasn’t from Minnesota but it was still delicious -- even without butter, lime or spices. I ate dinner rather late, so I’m not really sure how it affected me. The good news is I didn’t notice any symptoms before going to sleep and I felt fine the next day.

Again, I really don’t want to be allergic to corn. But apparently I am. I can say one thing for sure: Even if it makes me tired and spacey, I’m still going to indulge in corn periodically. It’s just too damn good to give up.