As a Home Economist, my forever position about onions was that the more they made you cry, the better taste they would have when caramelized.
But now that I think about it, I haven't cried in a long time and I haven't been using as many onions as I had always used in the past. Not even red onions on my salads.
I have noticed too that onions in general are not as good quality as they used to be either. The rings don't stick together as tightly and slip apart when cut or chopped. Seems like it's happening with all onions these days and not just occasionally.
Thanks for your insight. Guess I'm not loosing it over poor quality onions after all !
Mark, I’m crying, and not from chopping onions. Your piece hits like a Rijnsburger to the sinuses.
It also brought back a memory. When I was 9, visiting family in Calabria, my uncle would walk me through the fields, pull onions straight from the ground, peel off a layer, and eat it raw like it was an apple. I was mortified every time he offered me a bite and prayed he wouldn’t insist. I’ve always loved onions, but that memory spoiled them for me for years. Now, a few years later, 40++++ something, to be "precise", I actually miss those onions. You’re right, there’s something off about today’s onions. Then again, watching the world news, maybe there’s something wrong with the entire world including onions.
Late to the party here, but I wanted to chime in that the onions in India still very much make me cry! My wife cries so much that she usually makes me cut the onions, but frequently she'll still cry if she's even in the same room.
So, there is hope.
We are digital nomads and travel and cook a lot in different places. Before this I've never thought about how the onions may vary, though I will start paying attention to it. We spend a lot of time in Thailand and the onions we buy there are generally larger, cleaner, and whiter than the ones in India, which I attribute to more "modern" agriculture and distribution methods. I wonder if those may be more mild, but we recently had a hardcore crying episode in Thailand too. I'll be visiting the US soon and will be sure to take note of the onion quality.
That's a very interesting observation. I've been curious about jalapeño peppers. As someone with a low to moderate tolerance for spicy foods, I find it odd that I can often eat a whole jalapeño—though it varies. Sometimes just touching one to my tongue makes me rush for milk, but other times, it feels much closer to a green pepper in heat level.
Now that you mention it, you're right!
As a Home Economist, my forever position about onions was that the more they made you cry, the better taste they would have when caramelized.
But now that I think about it, I haven't cried in a long time and I haven't been using as many onions as I had always used in the past. Not even red onions on my salads.
I have noticed too that onions in general are not as good quality as they used to be either. The rings don't stick together as tightly and slip apart when cut or chopped. Seems like it's happening with all onions these days and not just occasionally.
Thanks for your insight. Guess I'm not loosing it over poor quality onions after all !
Mark, I’m crying, and not from chopping onions. Your piece hits like a Rijnsburger to the sinuses.
It also brought back a memory. When I was 9, visiting family in Calabria, my uncle would walk me through the fields, pull onions straight from the ground, peel off a layer, and eat it raw like it was an apple. I was mortified every time he offered me a bite and prayed he wouldn’t insist. I’ve always loved onions, but that memory spoiled them for me for years. Now, a few years later, 40++++ something, to be "precise", I actually miss those onions. You’re right, there’s something off about today’s onions. Then again, watching the world news, maybe there’s something wrong with the entire world including onions.
Great post.
Great piece Mark .. so true so true ..
Late to the party here, but I wanted to chime in that the onions in India still very much make me cry! My wife cries so much that she usually makes me cut the onions, but frequently she'll still cry if she's even in the same room.
So, there is hope.
We are digital nomads and travel and cook a lot in different places. Before this I've never thought about how the onions may vary, though I will start paying attention to it. We spend a lot of time in Thailand and the onions we buy there are generally larger, cleaner, and whiter than the ones in India, which I attribute to more "modern" agriculture and distribution methods. I wonder if those may be more mild, but we recently had a hardcore crying episode in Thailand too. I'll be visiting the US soon and will be sure to take note of the onion quality.
An excellent piece as usual!
That's a very interesting observation. I've been curious about jalapeño peppers. As someone with a low to moderate tolerance for spicy foods, I find it odd that I can often eat a whole jalapeño—though it varies. Sometimes just touching one to my tongue makes me rush for milk, but other times, it feels much closer to a green pepper in heat level.
Damn them! 😢
Totally agree!
Keep these articles coming dude. I'm a huge fan