Crabtree Falls

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Yeast Mystery


In primary school I ate a yeast roll in the lunchroom and shortly after I got a terrible migraine headache. For years, up until my mid-twenties, I would not eat a yeast roll, period. Even my grandmother's best batch, pulled right out of the oven on a hot tray, could not entice me. It became a family joke. Every time we'd sit down for a meal, someone would say, "Allen, grab you a roll and pass me some." I would do well enough just to pass them! Even the smell of them would trigger an association to that awful day in primary school! This conviction that yeast rolls would "do me in" was only reinforced when I later discovered some articles that indeed linked yeast with migraines. Was I one of the unlucky ones?!? Well, I do know that in Uzbekistan, in the early 90's, one of my favorite snacks was their naan, a round bread that is usually leavened with yeast. I ate it like it was going out of style! And, I don't remember getting a headache of any kind! Perhaps the honey and homemade apricot jams I smeared on the naan was just the antidote I needed to offset the yeast! Here's a sample of some research that links freshly cooked breads with migraines. http://www.widowmaker.com/~jnavia/tannins/tannbrd.htm

2 comments:

Jeffrey said...

Why do you keep changing titles Machi!

Major Allen Espy said...

Copus, I think of a phrase or think of word I'd like add or take off, then i edit away. Everything I do is a work in process. I'd even retouch the Mona Lisa if I had a chance! I'm Alex Keaton on Family Ties when he wads up paper, wheels his chair to the other side of the room and then fires it at the trash can! I even have reworded paragraphs and added video links two or three weeks after I posted something. Call me Crazy Ole Machi