Tales of Duke's, Part 2 - Onion Rings

Looking back at it, I now realize that this was a test of character. At the time, I was too naïve to recognize it for what it was, and yet I managed to do the right thing anyway. This was also more than a test; it was an experience to increase my awareness and appreciation.

It was my first day on the job. I thought I might cook, wrap sandwiches, operate the cash register — pretty much any of a number of different things — but I did not anticipate my very first duty.

There were two kitchens at Duke’s: the front kitchen (in full view of the customers, and where their food orders were completed) and the back kitchen (which was nearly as capable as the front kitchen, but was used for food preparation). My first day was spent in the back kitchen. I was greeted by 2 (two) 50-lb bags of onions and was told to convert these into onion rings by the end of the day.

This process was fairly simple: peel, slice, separate the slices into rings, dip the rings in a specially prepared batter, and then dip the battered rings into some special collection of crumbs. These were then placed in grey busing trays and stored in the walk-in refrigerator. I was surprised that such an activity could consume an entire work day. I was also surprised to realize how little I had previously understood the various parts of onion anatomy. By the time I was finished, my boss looked at me a little differently than he had before (I guess I had passed the test). I think I looked at him a little differently, too (through teary eyes).

The after-effects of this experience were (1) continued employment, and (2) not-so-sweetly scented hands for the next couple of weeks. I tried many things (soaking in lemon juice, lots of hand-washings, etc.), but I couldn’t really tell that any of these coping mechanisms made much of a difference. I think I just had to molt, replacing the tarnished skin cells with pristine new ones.

I’m really glad I did this. Most of the onion-ring-buying public are not acquainted with the real work to make onion rings; all they see are a few pale rings put into a metal basket, submerged in hot oil for a few minutes, and then served golden brown and piping hot. I think I appreciate them more because of this behind-the-scenes experience.

In the grand scheme of things, making onion rings was a fairly tame and benign experience; not every manufacturing experience leads to a greater appreciation. Take haggis, for example. Some brave, unfortunate souls are burdened with the task of making things that are sometimes better (only?) enjoyed in ignorance of their manufacturing. My closest encounter to making haggis was watching a PBS special on this. I found the process to be profoundly disturbing, and I don’t think I can ever knowingly eat haggis now.

So, seeing a thing made behind-the-scenes is good for some things and bad for others. The key, I suppose, is being able to discern between these two categories ... beforehand.