Pine Nuts Ruined My Liiiiiiiiife!

Okay, maybe not my life, exactly. The saying, "It just left a bitter taste in my mouth" has been my life, essentially, for the past TWO days, and not in the figurative sense (which is probably worse), but in a completely literal way.

It all started on Monday when I was excited to consume my Luna Bar breakfast, and suddenly the bar tasted terrible and incredibly bitter. Being the optimist I am, I instantly blamed the isolated bar and didn't jump to conclusions, only to find that the bitterness followed me to lunch... And my afternoon protein shake... And dinner. Noooo!

So, the rational-minded me was no longer present at this point and I went to Google, sure that I would learn I had a brain tumor or some other kind of life-threatening disease... The oddest thing was, I typed in "Bitter Taste in Mouth" and found that nearly all of the first page's results involved PINE NUTS! This would mean nothing to me if I hadn't, out of pure snacking desperation, consumed a hefty handful of the little goobers only a day prior! I had most of a bag remaining after making Pesto, and figured they'd be a nice snack full of healthy fats for my body and mind... Well, that was a mistake.

My particular nuts were purchased from Trader Joe's, which are apparently notorious for the condition of "Pine Nut Mouth"... Yes, the condition has a name! PineNut.com gave me some insight into this condition that is strangely common and I find myself confused and perplexed by the entirety of the situation. I guess, just like many other industries, times are tough for Pine Nut producers and they've been taking some short-cuts mixing in older, non-pristine (and BITTER!) nuts with their suitable nuts.

The moral of the story is, don't eat straight Pine Nuts from Trader Joe's (or Costco either according to PineNut.com) or you may develop the same condition I am suffering from now. I should be back to normal within a few days, but I can't even enjoy the finer things in life for the time being, and that is no fun! On the off -chance any readers are standing at their pantry, debating on whether to eat those random Nuts of the Pine, don't do it! Go to the store and get some almonds :)