You probably know Mr. Google recently installed an AI function that quickly gives a non-judgmental answer to almost any question you might have. Here is what he said when I asked "why do onions make your eyes tear-up?"
Mr. Google's answer took me right back to the 1970s and good old Dr. Barker's Organic Chemistry class at Mississippi State. I enjoyed his lectures a lot, just not the hassle of getting to his classroom from my class just before it. Dr. Barker's class met on a MWF schedule at 10:00 am on the second floor of Hand Chemical Lab, on the east side of campus, across the street from the Student Health Center. Immediately before my Organic Chemistry class, I had a 9:00 am genetics class, taught by Dr. "Chicken" Thomas. The walk from The Poultry Science Building, where Dr. Thomas lectured to Hand Labs, where Dr. Barker lectured, was close to a mile, with about a ten-minute gap between classes to cover that distance.
Most days, if I hustled, that was enough time t be in my seat when Dr. Barker began his lecture. However, Dr. Thomas always had problems finding a suitable end to his lectures and was known for teaching five or ten minutes past the end of his allotted time. Dr, Barker was a good guy and when I apologized after the first class, for walking in late, the first time it happened. He asked why, and when I explained Dr. Thomas lectured past the end of class time, he just laughed and told me a story about his fellow professor and then said it was OK, just be quiet when I came in late.
The story, according to Dr. Barker was, Dr. Thomas got cheated out of a Nobel Prize for his discovery of the Double Helix structure of DNA. Famed scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize in 1962 for their 1953 research paper in the Journal Nature, detailing the Double Helix Structure of DNA. Dr. Thomas had already published this proposed structural model in 1952. Sadly, his article covered research on T-cell formation in the Bursa of Chickens and was published in the Journal of Poultry Science, which (sadly) I guess was not on the reading list for those who nominated Watson and Crick for the international prize.
Let's get back to my tearful relationship with Onions:
This organic compound is a volatile, sulfur-containing organic compound that is similar to tear gas. It's also known as a lachrymatory factor, which is a compound that makes you cry. When it comes into contact with the surface of the eye, it reacts with water to create an acid that stimulates a nervous response, triggering tears to wash the irritant away. If you ever went through Army Basic Training, you likely were marched to the gas chamber one day and experienced lachrymatory compounds a lot worse than anything you might encounter from an onion. We got gassed three times that day. Like millions of others who pulled their mask off and breathed their first hit, I still remember every moment.
Of course, slicing or dicing this tasty bulbous vegetable and shedding a tear or two is necessary if you intend to eat onions. I guess some eat their onions like biting into an apple, but that is not my thing, so I suffer the few tears I get when I slice my onions to make Onion rings.
Whew! I thought I would never get to my recipe for Onion rings!
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 egg
2 cups Vegetable oil
Thanks for looking.
God Bless You.
10 comments:
Thanks for sharing, you can also sub the butter milk with your favorite craft beer. Also, brothers Larry and Chuck Gordon of Belzoni, MS produced Field of Dreams.
In retrospect, if you compare them to movies being released today, it can be confirmed that all of Kevin Costner’s movies are good. Even the bad ones like Waterworld and The Postman. Weird how time does that. And my wife still thinks The Bodyguard is his best.
I've heard that putting a damp cloth next to the cutting board will help reduce the tear-inducing nature of slicing onions. I just turn on the stove fan and stand downwind. Rubbing your fingers on stainless steel will remove the smell of garlic from your fingers, for reasons unknown to me, but it works.
Athletes
KF - I'm having trouble with the new comments procedure.
Athletes in Paris are complaining about the French food being served to them. Apparently, many athletes like meat and potatoes instead of vegan hotdogs.
Look up the list of movies produced by Larry Gordon,. You'll be blown away. (His professional name is Lawrence Gordon.) He grew up in the same neighborhood that I did in Belzoni and visited his parents quite often, even after he became a big name in Hollywood. I am a good bit younger but remember talking with him when he was in town. Great fellow. Not your typical Hollywood "big shot."
My first encounter with fresh homemade onion rings was at the Pig Stand, a small restaurant across N. State Street from the old Baptist Hospital in Jackson. They were sooo good! Now, I always scan the menu for these when dining at an unfamiliar establishment.
9:36 The Majors Family owned the Pig Stand establishments in Jackson for most of their time here. It was great food in a classic diner setting. Mr. Webb ran the Pig stand in the Medical Arts Building. I knew him and always thought he was a really good guy. Their Apple Pie was to die for. He also would take a donut and grill it (both sides) on his flat top with a little squirt of butter to make the best breakfast pastry you might want to eat with a cup of coffee.
Useless Trivia - Pulitzer Prize winning Author, Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Texasville, Last Picture Show, etc.) wrote a book in 1992 titled The Evening Star. IMO, It is a very underrated book, although I will admit it is no Lonesome Dove. A notable part of the book, which I have read three times, occurs in the San Antonio, TX Pig Stand. That location was still there the last time I checked. I think they made a movie of the book. Might be on Netflix.
Getting away from Belzoni favorite sons and restaurants in Jackson, what is the meaning of this headline? "Hea Dad, want to have a catch?"
Nobody says that! Did you mean 'Hey'? 'Have a catch?' Puleeze!
4:23 That was a quote (at least a representation of the dialogue) from the movie "Field of Dreams", which is full to overflowing with thoughts of family, sons, and "dads" that appeals to me. I have always been led to an understanding that the relationship of love between Ray and his dad (John) came to a theatrical climax with that statement. If my use of a comma was incorrect, you knew me, and all of my shortcomings for use of proper punctuation, and inaccurate mimicking of a midwestern speech pattern before you ever read the post. Just think of me as an old, hickish, admirer of Faulkner, with poor spelling and thick, fumbling fingers on a sometimes uncooperative keyboard, and you may find it in your heart to ignore my inability to write, that confuses you, leaving an irritation that is difficult to ignore. Maybe you will agree that last, 42 (+-) word sentence was at least a little Faulknerish. I bid you peace....
Post a Comment