Sage advice about cutting yourself

No, no, this isn't advice about cutting wrists.

If you are a klutz like I am and have a tendency to cut yourself in the kitchen, then I have two points of sage advice to offer.

First, do yourself a favor, and if you are going to cut yourself anyway (I mean, it's better to prevent these cuts if you are the sort of person who can do that. But if you're like me and have a penchant for accidentally piercing/puncturing your skin with a microplane grater or knife, some cut locations are more convenient than others.), try to avoid cutting or grating the index finger of your dominant hand--particularly the side that is closest to the thumb. The index finger is usually the finger that you rest on a knife, so if you cut something acidic, the juice will seep right in. It is also the finger you'd most likely use to peel an acidic citrus fruit, so again, the juices will seep. If your dominant hand is the right hand and you happen to be of a bow hair-loosening ilk, then it is also the finger that you use to turn the (whatever that thing is called--a nut?) to tighten or loosen the bow hairs, as I found out tonight, when I took out my violin and tried to tune it.

Second, if you have the misfortune of having such a cut that is strategically located somewhere that it will easily come in contact with things you might chop, you probably want to delay making that dish that calls for a chopped up chili pepper until your wound heals. Or you can omit the chili pepper and just make a mild-tasting dish. Just trust me on this. Really.

And while I'm in the business of distributing sage advice, if you have an onion and a chili pepper to cut, always always cut the onion first. You want to get the crying and tear-wiping out of the way, before you tackle a chili pepper.