Peripa

I'm terribly, horribly, afraid of raw poultry. The thought of touching it makes my heart race, and I start to panic. I've been practicing, and I am now able to transfer raw chicken breasts to a baking sheet, with a fork, without crying. Yay me.

I've no idea where this comes from, other than that my mother overcooks poultry because she's worried about Salmonella, so probably from her, I guess.

Fun story: About 6 years ago I decided to be really brave and make a roasted chicken. Problem: I had to take the insides out - the little gizzardy bag, you know? I didn't have any plastic gloves, and there was no way I was capable of reaching into that void without protection, so I taped plastic grocery bags over my hands. Turns out I still couldn't touch it, so I picked the whole chicken up with a couple of forks (bags still taped on) and cooked it with the insides still inside. I couldn't eat it, but my husband said it tasted fine.

I've never attempted to roast a chicken again.

I also have an aversion to houseplants. I'm not so much afraid of them as I think they lean towards me because they can tell I don't like them. So... basically I think houseplants are like cats. Sheesh.