I had an appointment at an allergy clinic this week to see if I am allergic to seafood, crustations or mollusks. Big surprise - I am not allergic to any of those, in spite of the reaction I had which required Prednisone. The culprit is coconut 🥥. Funny thing as I had eaten coconut before but now it gives me hives. I can easily live without coconut and am happy it wasn't olives, coffee or chocolate.
In the front garden my Cosmos are still blooming but the season will end soon. Still getting quite a few bees visiting.
Loki isn't about to mess about with bees. "I'll just observe from inside, thank you very much!"
Book chat / Here is another nonfiction for the challenge for the South East Asia category.
Homeless: The Untold Story of a Mother's Struggle in Crazy Rich Singapore by Liyana Dhamirah is a very short memoir. The author takes us on a journey of how she ended up homeless and living in a tent on the beach with her small children.
Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: South East Asia
This will make fifteen nonfictions I have read so far in 2026. 📚😀
Next up is another nonficton for the Subculture category and a possible fall reading list (which I hope I can stick to!).
I sure wish my husband would go to the allergist. Normally he just has normal stuff but man, he sounds like a pug these days. Coconut, huh? I feel like many are allergic to that. Like you said thank goodness it wasn't coffee or other necessary foods.
ReplyDeleteHi Ti. I would have bet it was seafood but it was the coconut shrimp. I've eaten it before...who knows 🤷♀️
DeleteYes, I could easily give up coconut, but not coffee or chocolate. Not a fan of olives (or pickles), but don't take my avocados away! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love Cosmos, but don't think I've seen them in that vibrant yellow/gold color. They remind me of Coreopsis, which we used to grow in Nebraska.
Les, I also love avocado. Coconut I can livev without and not feel deprived.
DeleteThe coreopsis are big bloom flowers here as well. Getting to the end off the season now. Only 15 days until we are there!
What a bizarre allergy! But definitely one you should be able to work around. Being allergic to coffee or chocolate would be incredibly tragic! I wonder if whatever you ate had some coconut in it? The Cosmos are beautiful! I love that color. I'm reading a nonfiction right now about the domestication of cats. So far it's really interesting!
ReplyDeleteKatherine, the book sounds interesting. I ought to write the title for next years challenge books in nonfiction.
DeleteI ate coconut shrimp, thats how it got in my system. Funny thing is, I had it at Outback restaurant 6 months ago and no reaction.
Wow glad they tracked your allergy down to coconut ... who would've thought that? What a bizarre allergy eh? I dont really eat coconut either so it seems an easy thing to escape. And that Homeless memoir seems sad and affecting ... Gosh so good she could turn her life around -- what a slim margin sometimes. Where did you see that book? I have not heard of it ... but my sister and brother in law lived in Singapore for three years ... must have been in the late 1990s. Interesting place.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan. Yeah, Homeless was a sorry set of circumstances and its great she ended up getting the attention from a journalist. Turned her life around. I saw the book on Shelleyrae's site under Asian category. Can't remember the blogger who reviewed it.
DeleteOh absolutely can avoid coconut! Coffee and chocolate would be devastating!
I
I’m glad they found the culprit, coconut is a rare food allergen, are you also allergic to coconut products likes soaps and shampoos?
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t find a copy of Homeless, it’s sort of the flip side of Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians.
Wishing you a lovely week
Hi Shelleyrae, apparently it's only ingesting the coconut. The shrimp gives me a rash if I peel it raw but I can eat it without issues. the allery doctor expalined that, something about skin contact issues ony. So, no coconut cake or anything like that.
DeleteI saw the movie Crazy Ruch Asians but have not tackled the book series yet. Homeless was at my library and in ebook format. I only have one category to go to make all twleve in the challenge! So cool as i only signed up for 6.
The cosmos are gorgeous. Such a deep, rich color, and the bees! Perfect shot.
ReplyDeleteHomeless does sound interesting. I know very little about life in Singapore.
Thanks for the reminder about nonfiction November. I may try to do that this year. I have a number of nonfictions crying out to be read.
Jane, I try and pplant as many pollinators as possible. Just discovered a neighbor about 5 houses down has a hive so I think we are getting visits from her bees.
DeleteThis has been my year for nonfcition, the best year I have ever had with fifteen read so far. I still have a few waiting in the wings but am slowing down now that the weather is better and i am out more.
Well, there goes the coconut shrimp! Seriously though, definitely better to cut out coconut than chocolate or coffee! I haven't read nearly as much nonfiction as usual this year, but am hoping that Nonfiction November will get me back on track. Hope you're having a good week, Tina.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I liked the coconut shrimp but definitely something I can live without. Funny thing is I have had it multiple times in the last few months, twice at Outback Steakhouse for a lunch special. Oh well.
DeleteThis week is going well so far. I'm on the countdown to go visit the kids and get some cooler weather. Hope things are well with you all and that grandbaby is getting very spoiled!
I often wonder about the stories of those who camp out in the park near our library and who spend the hot summer days at the library.
ReplyDeleteOh dear! Coconut!
Deb, we have the same thing here. Lots of homeless use the library to get out of the heat, cold and rain. It's more on the NW side of town and when I used that library. I used to leave zip baggies with those unfridgerated lunchables or the tuna and cracker packs and plastic forks under the sheltered part near the book return during the times when the library would close for 4 days at a time (holidays). Not much but I know it might help with hunger for a few folks.
DeleteYeah, coconut! That was a big surprise. I have eaten over the past decades without reaction. Crazy!