Walla Walla, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Yesterday I had a profound experience.

As I often boast, I've been eating for a long time and often make the mistake of thinking that I've eaten it all, when in truth, I am only in the middle of a life-long pursuit to eat it all. After all, my palate still gets caught off guard on occasion. For example, seven years ago, I was very much taken aback by the sticky snotty look and taste of nato, Japanese fermented soy beans. That humbling experience has stuck with me.

Last night, BB re-introduced me to the sweet onion. I've seen these onions before lying in the next bin over from the regular onions at Costco. I've noticed mostly that they are slightly more expensive and more squatty in shape. I've even eaten them before but never clued into the sublime difference.

All onions are sweet, but sweet onions lack the level of sulfur that gives onions its characteristic bite. Nine times out of ten, I am sauteeing onions rather than eating them raw - probably because I'm not particularly fond of the sulfurous bite. Last night, in BB's salmon dip, I realized what I have been missing.

A raw sweet onion has all of the bright texture of a regular onion accented by crisp lingering sweetness. It can truly wake up a dip. I kept waiting for the onion to bite back, but it never did, and hence I kept on eating. The remaining flavors in my mouth were happy and pleasant - if push came to shove, this was a mouth that could still kiss!

Once again I am humbled by a simple root vegetable.

So for all of you lovers out there, get out your mistletoe and your sweet Walla Walla onions and make this Christmas delicious.