What brings a tear of joy to your eye?

Peeling onions, of course. As my Welsh grandfather told me, years and years ago

“If, if, if,
onions climbed a cliff,
potatoes would rise
with watery eyes
if it wasn’t for if.”

There you have it, in a nutshell, or should that be an onion skin? So, why does peeling onions bring a tear of joy to my eye? Because of the things that I make with them, of course. Where would paella be, if there were no onions in the mix? Can you imagine French Onion Soup with no onions in it? How about a Spanish Omelet / tortilla española? Okay, okay – I know some purists, especially in Galicia, say that the tortilla española should consist of egg, potato, salt, and nothing more, save a touch of olive oil, perhaps. But most of the tortillas españolas that I have enjoyed (and made) include an onion or two to blend with the potatoes. And how about salsa mexicana or salsa pico de gallo? Unthinkable without their dash of sliced onion.

So, peeling onions – that always brings a tear of joy to my eye, because I know how I am going to use them and how tasty they will be. And for those who have forgotten the hungry in this world, myself included in this particular post, do not forget Miguel Hernández and his poem Las nanas de la cebolla / The Onion Lullaby. Reading that poem and understanding its background will surely bring a tear to your eye, as it always does to mine. This time, however, it won’t be a tear of joy!