I have been allergic to peanuts my whole life. A food allergy is a major pain—it’s like a weakness, a Kryptonite that renders me helpless at even a small dose. Unlike Superman, I don’t have remarkable powers to fall back on when things are good. Peanuts contacting my mouth rapidly initiate a multistage anaphylactic reaction…
Back before caring about the environment was a fad, my family was recycling: Taking care of cans, jars, and various other recyclable materials was one of my household jobs for a long time. In those dark ages, I had to fully rinse everything and peel of the labels before we could haul our amassed bags…
Having lived here less than a year, I’m not entirely confident that I’m qualified to comment on the Southern California environments. However, I would imagine that it is in these first months that the differences between “here” and “there”—that is to say, Maryland—are the most salient, and are thus a fine source of raw material…