Joey Villarama…Who?

My sister and my brother-in-law commemorated their 7th year of marriage today. We went to a Japanese restaurant for a simple dinner to celebrate this "milestone." Contrary to the saying that couples who are married for seven years start to get bored of each other (ie, the seven year itch), my sister and her husband are a picture of a happy family, with their 2 year old son, Vigo Sebastian, to complete the package.

I am not a picky eater. Whatever is served before me, I am sure to eat it.  Raw food is no exception.  Although I did not use to eat sashimi, I’ve come to discover the simple, distinctive, delicate and delightful flavor raw fish imparts on the palate.    I’ve always been a big fan of seafood, so eating Japanese food is such a treat for me.

After several glasses of iced tea, some tempura and a medley of raw and cooked seafood combinations, my perky mood suddenly turned sullen, when I felt my left eye was beginning to swell and itch.

As a child, I was asthmatic; not just the quiet-wheeze type of asthmatic, but the huff-and-puff, chronic kind of asthmatic.  Since birth, I had been allergic to 85% of all known common allergens. Being admitted to the hospital for asthma was like going to church on Sundays. But thanks to 4 years of weekly allergen-desensitizing injections and Mama’s care and patience, I was able to outgrow my asthma in the mid-1990s. Or so I thought.

Since 1996, I have been allergy free. Even if I eat shellfish or become exposed to pollen, acacia trees, bermuda grass or dust, I never get hay fever or suffer wheezes or bouts of cough.  Recently, however, if I eat too much shrimp or a small dose of a potent shellfish extract, I get the hives.

Well, so much for the 11-year hiatus from allergy.  Fortunately for my sister and brother-in-law and unfortunately for me, the "itch" evaded them, but it found me.

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