Here's a Warning Meant to Protect You...

This is going to seem really odd to you, but to save you some physical discomfort, I thought you'd better hear about it if you happen to like to eat pine nuts as much as I do/did.

My family and I enjoy pesto on thin spaghetti sometimes, so I made pesto last week. As you know, pine nuts are a main ingredient in pesto. Couldn't find pine nuts anywhere, but finally tracked them down at Trader Joe's, a food emporium known for funky but healthy food. I noticed the pine nuts were very small, but I figured Trader Joe's is different or it just wasn't a great crop and I bought them anyway. Tasted them before making the pesto, and they seemed OK. After that nibble, I noticed a mysterious bitter taste in my mouth. Didn't make the connection at first. All food tasted TERRIBLE after that!  I thought I lost my knack for cooking. When the metallic bitterness wouldn't go away, I figured I was dying of some exotic disease or mercury fillings poisoning or diabetes, or worse. It hasn't gone away yet. Doctors are a last resort for me, so I headed to the Internet and uncovered multiple articles on pine nuts causing a bitter taste that usually lasts about 2 weeks and often longer. One guy has been suffering for 9 weeks. Upon further investigation, the phenomenon has been traced back to an inedible species of pine nuts that are imported from China. They affect some people this way and others are not affected. But cases have been noted all over Europe and the US and probably other parts of the world as well.  It's bizarre since I've been eating pine nuts my whole life with no bad reactions. I definitely feel hesitant to trust them now.

If any of you are in the health niche, this could be an excellent topic for an article. I'm not in the health niche, so I pass it on to you. It's pretty scary, and very uncomfortable. I think you should get the word out. Tell people to check labels. If it's imported from China, then pass on it. This bitter taste is horrible and it gets worse when you eat. Makes wine taste unpalatable. On the other hand, it's a perfect way to get people to follow a diet. From what I have read, it doesn't seem to be chemical toxicity. Nonetheless, such a thing should not be on the market. When you make pesto, switch over to walnuts unless you are sure of the source of the pine nuts you purchase.