What makes onions so easy to hate?

Huh. For me, the question is, why are onions so easy to love?

@MyNewtBoobs do you know anyone that doesn’t like onions?

I also like them, but I won’t eat them raw. I do know a ton of people that hate them, though. I wonder if it’s just me, or if this is a common thing.

Everything!!!! The taste, the smell, the crunch… Onions are fucking vile. Yes, I feel strongly about this. Seriously, I hate them – ask anyone.

Related: I’ve hated them since I was a kid. When I was about 10 or 11 my uncle (who knows very well I hate onions) played a terrible joke on me where he dipped a raw onion in caramel and put it on a stick like a caramel apple. He gave it to me and I bit into it, was disgusted and spit it out. He laughed.

I just severely dislike the smell of them. Back home, I accidentally dropped some onion on the floorboard of my Jeep and it made it smell FOREVER.

Okay, thanks for letting me know that it isn’t my imagination. lol.

@Allie, that’s how I feel about tomatoes. Most people look at me like I’ve grown an extra limb when I say that, but I really think that raw tomatoes are possibly the most disgusting thing on the planet.

@ANef_is_Enuf A couple, but one hates almost every food but chicken, and another just has random things she doesn’t like – but never anything that makes me thinks that it’s onions, and not just general food preferences.

I didn’t like onions for a long time; and like you, I eat them cooked. I can deal with a handful of raw onions mixed in with a gyro or some other strongly flavored sandwich, but otherwise they have to be cooked. My father and his siblings were all similar: they wouldn’t eat onions until they were in their late teens. My sister will only eat them fried (or in Chinese food, but she doesn’t know they’re in there).

The only person I know offline who has liked onions forever is my brother—but he will literally eat anything that is technically food (and some things that technically are not).

@SavoirFaire I didn’t eat onions when I was a kid, either. Hated them.

“And some things that technically are not” made me laugh out loud.

ONIONS RULE, YOU HATERS!

I dunno I prefer a good punch in the face to onions.
Hell, punch me in the balls, onions suck worse.

It’s just if you have tastebuds, they are violent to your palate. No flavor should be that strong. I prefer actual physical violence against myself than, to my poor sensitive tongue.

@everephebe I have extremely sensitive tastebuds, and I still love them.

I think @everephebe is onto something. They are potent.

@ANef_is_Enuf Which make sense, except for when you look at how big Mexican food is in the US – onions or not, it’s also potent stuff.

If you want to torture me into giving any information, onions are key. I really dislike them. I’ve recently developed an allergy to them, so that’s part of it. Onions are the anti-me, thing in the universe. My nemesis. If I could eradicate anything in the universe it would be onions. Not war, not famine, not anything just onions. Ok that last line is, maybe, hyperbole but still.
I am like crazy-super-tastier. I was born with weird over-developed senses.

Cooked, I love. Raw? Bits in a salad with a good dressing to mask the bitterness.
People in my family love to put a huge slice of Vidalia on their hamburgers, raw. I can’t do it.

By the way I love mexican food, minus the onions of course.

@everephebe Where do you stand on blue cheese?

Now I want enchiladas.

Blue cheese is case by case. But mostly ok. See, onions are not complex chemicals, in comparison to blue cheese or garlic. If you analyze onions they are very similar to garlic but missing several components. They are harsh, mean, fuck you kinds of flavor. If I want violence done to my senses I’ll go to a concert.
And guess what, I have Russian blood in me, well at least Slavic.

Yummmmmyyy!! The best part of an onion is when it’s raw and served on a classic hamburger, and @ANef_is_Enuf the onion needs to be with lettuce and a juicy beefsteak tomato slice!

I really like discreet amounts of raw onions in salads (2 slices) and on sandwiches (1 slice), but I wouldn’t be surprised if no human on this planet can consume a whole raw onion by itself.

@Brian1946 So what you’re saying is, you dare me to eat a whole raw onion by itself?

I LOVE onions… mostly cooked, but red raw or pickled are great too. I do know some people who really dislike them too and I get it. I don’t like when red onions are too onion-y.

@MyNewtBoobs

Do you have Paypal and a videocam? ;-)

Hot.

@Brian1946 Indeed I do ;)

@MyNewtBoobs

Your eagerness intimidates and compels me to ask for proof that you’re human. ;-)

@Brian1946 Lol!

I love onions. I’m not even sure if I know anyone who hates them…

I’m not a fan of what they do to your eyes when you chop them up, but other than that, they’re excellent.

Super tasters often have trouble with onions, especially when they’re kids. I couldn’t tolerate them at all as a kid, but I love them now. It’s only very recently that I’ve come to like small amounts of raw (red) onion, but I’ve loved cooked (especially caramelized) ones for a long time.

Why do people hate onions? Because onions hate you back and they are powerful. They make you cry. They never let you forget they’ve been through your system and they remind you they’ve been around by making you burp. They make other people turn away from you. Would a thing that liked you do that? No. They hate you. The only way I can tame them is by deep frying the hell out of them. Then I lurve them. Dipped in ketchup or sour cream dressing.

I don’t like onions ..never have.

I feel poorly whenever I eat raw onions. If I accidentally eat just one little piece in a sandwich, my stomach will let me know for sure.

But oddly, cooked onions don’t seem to upset me.

I like them either way but can only eat cooked.

@rooeytoo my grandmother is the same way. She doesn’t dislike onion, but they dislike her. Only raw, though.

I don’t know. I love onions. Everything is an aquired taste. I knew a person who didn’t like cherries. I thought everybody loved cherries.

I like onions but when I was pregnant I could not stand them in any form. They made me vomit. I had a bread roll once with poppy seeds on it and was nearly sick because one of the poppy seeds was actually an onion seed. My daughter hates onions. The second one likes them and I didn’t have an aversion to them when I was pregnant with her.

I go through Vidalia onions like there was no tomorrow. Can’t say I care much for the other kinds.

@Allie :: Lobsters. <—inside joke.

I fucking despise them, satan’s testicles is my definition of the putrid things.

I love all onions, including green onions and chives. I love Salsa Fresca which uses fresh onions and pico de gallo, which is basically the same thing. I use onions to sautee all sorts of things before putting them into dishes. I sautee onions and mushrooms to put into my home made mac and cheese for instance. And I use a lot of onions in the soups that I make. I love sliced onions on a big old veggie burger with lettuce and tomato and pickles and mayo and mustard. I love onions in chili. I love green onions sprinkled on top of egg drop soup. I love whole green onions that have been grilled on the barbecue. I love pickled onions. I love onions in Greek salad. I love onion dip. I love chives on a baked potato with sour cream. Spaghetti sauce just wouldn’t taste the same without onions. And I love caramelized onions in all sorts of things.

I don’t think I would care to eat a big raw chunk of onion, but onions are the basis for many delicious foods.

I like green onions, but dislike other varieties, especially yellow ones. They smell bad and make me cry. If I chop up a whole onion (for the onion lover in my household) or am in a house where onions are cooking, my eyes will burn for hours.

Ok, I’ve been thinking. Clearly, there isn’t something really common that makes onions so easy to hate – they’re freaking everywhere. Every restaurant is going to have lots of dishes that have onion in them. Sure, some people don’t like them – there’s always going to be a few people who don’t like a food. But if we’re going for something that is really easy to hate, we should look first at the classics – brussel sprouts, beets, spinach, peas, broccoli, avocado, lima beans, etc. Brussel sprouts, beets, and lima beans are especially hard to find in dishes because they’re so unpopular, it doesn’t pay for restaurants to have dishes with them. Unless it’s the one hipster restaurant like me that’s so concerned with being “different” that they have several cocktails with beets and brussel sprouts in them, but nary a rum-and-coke in sight…

@MyNewtBoobs

“But if we’re going for something that is really easy to hate, we should look first at the classics – brussel sprouts, avocado….”

Brussel sprouts- agreed.

Avocado- not here in laid back LA, where no restaurant dares to omit the sacred green tree jewel from their menu! ;-)
I bet I can eat a whole avocado before you can eat a whole raw onion.

Grilled Brussel Sprouts are quite popular at finer restaurants in Northern California. The same restaurants often offer salads with both red and gold beets in them.

@Brian1946 I love avocado and always have, but I guess it is the most hated green thing by kids.

When I was little, when my mom was cooking and cutting up onions, I always asked if I could have a slice. (that, and carrots) She gave me a few and I ate them raw, and it was awesome. My dad loved them too, and he also handed slices to me. He was always putting them in spaghetti sauce and stuff. It gives great taste. I also love garlic, but I have to admit, don’t eat that raw, or on its own. But otherwise, it’s fantastic.
Raw onion is also extremely effective in combating colds, as it’s a great friend to your immune system. I love the stingy taste and how warm it makes you feel when you eat some.

I denno what planet yall are from.

Am I the only one who actually loves Brussels sprouts?

Brussels sprouts are like those tiny cabbage things, right?

@noelleptc Especially when they are baked with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs sprinkled on top! Or This

I love Brussel Sprouts! Steamed! Grilled! Roasted!

@noelleptc And they’re just so danged cute too : ) Whole Foods often sells them around Thanksgiving and Xmas time still on the stalk. They actually look like edible Xmas ornaments!

@Symbeline

“Brussels sprouts are like those tiny cabbage things, right?”

Vous et correct.

I would think that @Symbeline would love Brussels sprouts because they look like Zombie Eyeballs! Bwaaaah haaa haaaa!

Here is an excellent way to make brussel sprouts not only palatable but really delicious. Nuke them for a few minutes to soften, then toss them into a frying pan with olive oil and a little sesame oil, add garlic, red capsicum, chilies and soy sauce. Stir fry quickly until they get some color.

Trust me, you will love them!

Sorry to get off the subject of onions! Actually you could add a few onions to the bs too!

@MyNewtBoobs
I love brussel sprouts, fresh raw peas, and broccoli.
I really don’t like, cooked or canned peas, beets and spinach ..and I’ll add radish to that list.
As for avocado and lima beans ..I don’t really find them all that special but I don’t hate them.

Pea haters should try Le Sueur baby peas. They are sweet and not mushy at all. Fantastic, and well worth paying extra for.

I hated brussels sprouts my whole life until I tried them fried (cut in half first) with bacon and pecans. Yum.

My stepfather used to wait for nights when everyone else had alternative dinner plans. Then he’d make himself liver, onions, and Brussels sprouts. It was nostalgia for him.

I have never eaten a brussel sprout.

Not because I wouldn’t want to, it has just never come up. I think I would enjoy them, though. other cruciferous veggies are at the top of my list of favorites, so I’m sure brussel sprouts would be good. Now I want to make some.

@augustlan Or, Le Seuer peas are the most vile way to turn peas into what diarrhea tastes like.

Zombie eyeballs? @Kardamom sure knows how to make vegetables even more awesome than they already are. :D

@Brian1946 I don’t think I’ve ever even had Brussels sprouts, but I see them fairly often…maybe I should try some out. hmm, zombie eyes…

@Symbeline and @ANef_is_Enuf Brussels sprouts taste pretty much like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower (if they are cooked properly). Most people don’t like them because someone boiled the h*ll out of them and when you do that, they stink to high heaven and they become bitter. They should have a slightly sweet, nutty taste and they should be al dente and not boiled into mush. Roasting them is one of the most awesome ways to prepare them. Just put a little bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and then roast them, either by themselves or with other veggies like sweet potatoes or beets or carrots. I usually cut them in half first.

Another great way to prepare them is in a Brussels Sprouts Gratin A similar dish was served at a Xmas party I attended and I became a convert, instantly!

And don’t freak, but tonight I’m actually going to make a raw Brussels Sprouts salad, which you can see here (only I will use “fake” bacon).

Roasting you say…that sounds like a cool idea. Are there a lot of meals these can be added to? That gratin thing sounds way cool. I love heated/melted/gratiné cheese on top of stuff.

@Symbeline Brussels sprouts are not usually added to other dishes, but are mostly served as side dishes. They’re great along side macaroni and cheese, or meatloaf and mashed potatoes, or turkey and stuffing and gravy.

Steaming them is another great way to cook them, just make sure that they are only fork tender (al dente) and not mushy, else they will taste bitter. They’re great steamed and then you can put a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little bit of fresh ground pepper on them and maybe a few thin shreds of Parmesan cheese. And that gratin dish is kind of like heaven for vegetables.

And just to bring this thread back into the realm of ONIONS I shall post another delicious recipe called Brussels Sprouts Hash with Caramelized Shallots

I think I may have just had a little orgasm in my mouth thinking about that!