Onions

[Arrow_Raider]

People say peeling and cutting onions makes their eyes water - they "cry."
My eyes do not water or sting when I cut onions. How is this so? Do I posses some genetic mutation that makes me immune to the irritant of onions? Or do people over exaggerate the effects that onions have on them?

[baja_yu]

Maybe you have some weak onions. Or you're Superman.

[oceanebelle]

Try the purple variety and peel them with your hands using a 3 inch pocket knife.

[crptcblade]

You are clearly a cyborg. Please murder whoever it is you were sent back in time for and return to the future, post haste.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I would suggest that you take off the mask and snorkel you are wearing. Not only will this allow your eyes to react to the chemicals in the onions, it will make you look slightly less bizarre.

[FireXtol]

The root of the onion is the main cause of this, and some onions are more potent than others. You can also refrigerate them prior to chopping.

[JuggaloBrotha]

I open the windows and light 2 candles when I cut onions, for some reason they effect me more than normal people.

Back when I was working at Subway, the morning person had me cut the onions (training) and after that horrible 15 minutes (I got the job done) I walked up to the front to let them know and my eyes were so watered and bloodshot even the customers were concerned. That was the only time in the 5.5 years working there that they had me slice the onions.

[techgnome]

Depends on the onion... some are more potent than others... Part of what causes the tearing is the onion juice mixing with moisture in the eyes and generating a sulphuric acid which is what leads to the irritation.
http://www.customs.go.jp/ccl/e_kids/4.htm
So it could be the onions you're picking, or it could just be you.

I peel onions under cold water... helps to wash away the juices. A good sharp knife helps too.

-tg

[baja_yu]

Based on what tg said, you might have very dry eyes. Or it could be that it's because you're a monkey with glasses and a (poorly photoshoped) hat.

[abhijit]

Have those onions been soaked in water, prior to cutting?

[I_Love_My_Vans]

I freeze my onions, cut them with a spark eroder in my garage then move them back into the house whilst wearing one of those nuclear hazmat suits.

[abhijit]

Strange laws concerning Onions.

In Ridgeland, South Carolina, a woman who weighs over 200 pounds cannot wear shorts and eat onions in a public place. In Northfield, Connecticut, citizens cannot eat raw onions while walking down a street. In Tennessee, customers of movie theaters must be onion-free for at least four hours.

You can't eat onions while attending church in Vermont and Kentucky. Pastors have the right to make offenders stand in a corner or leave the church until the service is finished. And don't try to spend your Sunday afternoon eating onions and ice cream in North Carolina and West Virginia, where it is illegal to sell ice cream and onions on Sunday.

In Budds Creek, Maryland, people over 21 cannot eat onions withpit permission from their dentist. In Lexington, Kentucky it is against the law to carry raw onions in your pocket. Don't be caught peeling onions in a Cotton Valley, Louisiana, hotel room or you may end up peeling onions in the jail kitchen. Don't share your onions with a friend in Rhode Island and don't expect to eat them with pretzels and beer in Sturgis, South Dakota.

[Arrow_Raider]

I do have dry eyes. I also do refrigerate my onions and use a sharp knife to cut them.

[minitech]

It's genetic resistance if you can squirt concentrated lemon juice into your eyes and not have them water. So try that and let us know what happens.

[abhijit]

It's genetic resistance if you can squirt concentrated lemon juice into your eyes and not have them water. So try that and let us know what happens.

True story: A distant cousin of mine lost sight for a few days on account of doing this. She used orange juice.

[pcuser]

True story: A distant cousin of mine lost sight for a few days on account of doing this. She used orange juice.

The main point is that she won the bet

[MartinLiss]

If you wear glasses, cutting them while not wearing them will prevent the fumes from getting trapped behind the lenses. Of course cutting anything without your glasses while using a sharp knife is problematic.

BTW you can understand the pain involved when I sometimes go out to the garden and harvest an onion and then cut up the thing while it's still warm from the sun

[NickThissen]

I heard chewing bubblegum while cutting them helps, but it might have been a stupid myth, I've never tried it

[Hack]

I peel onions under cold water...

My God man, what do you do for air during this process or are you wearing scuba gear at the time?

[Hack]

...and use a sharp knife to cut them.

Well, quite frankly, you are not alone there. Darn few people I know use a dull knife for this task.

[techgnome]

My God man, what do you do for air during this process or are you wearing scuba gear at the time?

Snorkel

-tg

[Shaggy Hiker]

Snorkel

-tg

See!!!! I knew what I was talking about back in post #5.

[EntityX]

People say peeling and cutting onions makes their eyes water - they "cry."
My eyes do not water or sting when I cut onions. How is this so? Do I posses some genetic mutation that makes me immune to the irritant of onions? Or do people over exaggerate the effects that onions have on them?

So you get to experience what people are talking about when they say onions make them cry I suggest you cut some onions that are at room temperature and are the purple variety, use a dull knife and put your face about 3 inches from the onions. If they still don't make you cry then maybe like crptcblade said you are a cyborg.