The Onion

It seems the guy was trying to slice an onion. Now slicing onions is one of the most common tasks for any cook, even the rankest amateur. But to slice an onion right requires some skill and care. This guy was slicing an onion with neither care nor skill. He was not using the right kind of knife, and it was not sharp. He should have left the onion in the refrigerator for a time before slicing, so as to minimize the fumes that bring on tears. He did not do this.

He did not hold the onion correctly, which is to say, firmly, on the cutting surface, which was wet and slippery to begin with. The unsharp knife slipped a couple of times on the onion’s surface, and he used a crude sawing motion for the first couple of tries. This merely shredded a part of the onion’s skin, which should have been removed ahead of time, but had not been. The way he hacked at the onion was nerve-wracking to watch. He was not paying close attention to the task. And he performed the task with unrivaled clumsiness.

Inevitably his finger got in the way of the blade. There was much blood on the cutting surface as a result. It was first thought that a visit to the emergency room of the local hospital might be in the cards, but as it turned out no stitches were needed.

The throbbing lasted for several days, even with analgesics.