I was not a fan of onions for most of my life. While I am not sure precisely what started my distaste for them, I’m confident I can blame it on my mother. Her cooking is why it took me decades to try things like asparagus and Brussels sprouts again later in life, as neither of those are palatable for me if boiled. Since her opinion of garlic is MOAR and she has no patience for people who disagree, it’s taken a long time on that font too. Some things I just don’t find appealing, like tomatoes. I’ve reached a point where they are at least tolerable, but if it’s not grown locally and picked ripe, they are a hard sell. I find mass-marketed tomatoes are bland and have a texture that reminds me of damp cardboard. But onions are different.
I could bring myself to choke down tomatoes. I had garlic sometimes, even if far less than enthusiasts. I even tolerated the asparagus food crimes inflicted on me. But onions were a hard no. I don’t know why, but the texture of an onion provoked a strong reaction in me. Given the choice between onions and going hungry, I chose hunger every time. On pizza? No. In a salad? Absolutely not. Pickled? One of the only pickles I will turn down. Even onion rings, fried food, I would say no to. Fried food!
And this sucks! The onion is step one for so many recipes. It’s a base part of the French mirepoix, the Spanish sofrito, and the Cajun holy trinity. Soups, stews, salads, and more. I can’t blame allergies because I am definitely not allergic. I don’t know why I got this strong distaste. I’m sure there was a lot of onion in my food that I didn’t notice. But if I saw, tasted, or suspected onion, that was no Bueno.
Clearly, what I found objectionable wasn’t the flavor, or at least. I’m a fan of many foods, and an Italian red sauce with sufficiently minced onions was fine by me. More “rustic” sauces with big ol’ hunks would have me picking out all the bits of onion. But still, it was a pain, and I just accepted that I am a picky eater.
For decades.
Recently I decided enough was enough. It was time to start trying to find ways to include onions in my cooking that I could stand. I like to sub in onion powder for the flavor without the texture, but the powder ain’t the real deal. I needed my onion silver bullet. Alternatively….
My onion gateway drug
Enter green onions. Scallions. Spring onions. They go by many names, but they are long, green, and I had been eating them for a long time without knowing they were actually onions. I am a sushi fan, and the miso soup I got with my fishes was often garnished or perhaps cooked with green onions. I had heard them called scallions, so I didn’t put it together. I was younger and dumber, and maybe I just wanted to believe. However, it happened I found them tolerable. But I never thought of using them for cooking.
Once again, I will give props to my boy Adam for the inspiration, as he uses them in many recipes. At some point, my brain went, “…what if I tried them?” I like a low-effort meal, and I love frittatas for that reason. I also love how you can randomly huck leftovers in, and they just work. But they were missing a special zing, so I tried to add some green onions.
I burned them crisp.
I tend to give anything at least three tries, so I went back for round two. I was gentler with the heat and this second time I burned them much less! Not the biggest accomplishment, yes, but success is hard. That frittata was better. Now, they are a staple in my kitchen.
Finally, success with onions! This is not a large thing in the grand scheme. It’s kinda small and petty, but on the scale of me it’s impressive. I thought maybe I could branch out into like actual onions, but big chunks still give me trouble. If I take the time to mince the onions small enough to dissolve or otherwise vanish into the cooking I’m actually OK with it. Maybe I will brave an onion ring again someday. A thin one to test. They are fried! I want to enjoy that!
In the end, I think I’ve made an important step in the direction I want. Saying no to onions forever isn’t easy, and I didn’t want to. I may not have gone all the way to onion-lover, but I have found alternative methods that I can enjoy, and that makes me happy. Maybe I’ll branch into leeks or other adventurous onions.
Adventurous for me. I am aware I am in the minority here. But I will take it. Adventure is fun when you get to do it no matter how large scale or tiny it may be. And adventure where you get to eat good food at the end? Lovely.
What food did you learn to love after a rough start?