Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Onion Tell

We're STILL not back in our house. The renovation is dragging on. I am back in the city though, back in the land of wi-fi, well-stocked groceries and within driving distance of my cookbooks! We're staying with my brother-in-law for the next few nights. Sorting through his bachelorific kitchen to see what I have to work with, I remembered my Onion Theory, which has been percolating in the back of my mind for some time.

The lowly onion is a good baseline indicator of foodiness in a household. I find I am shocked by people who don't keep onions on hand at all times. Virtually any dish I make begins with an onion. I panic if I get down to two or fewer in my pantry. If you can't find an onion at someone's house, there's a very good chance they cook from a package most of of the time. 

Unless of course you are my unfortunate cousin who is deathly allergic to onions. They cook from fresh, but have had to adapt all of their recipes to be onion-free. I can't imagine that, any more than I can imagine the plight of the woman I once met who developed a deathly allergy to garlic during her pregnancy. The horror!

I'm curious, readers—are there indicators, like the onion, that you have noticed? What can you not live without that other non-foodies can?

P.S. What is complete in our kitchen looks absolutely amazing. Can't wait to get in and get to work!

3 comments:

  1. a good, sharp knife and big, sturdy wooden cutting board.

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  2. butter, buttermilk, pure vanilla and my cast iron skillet!

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  3. I agree. Onions, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, BUTTER (the real stuff and not the crap people call "butter" but isn't really butter - they should be shot for that!)

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