January 15, 2010
Today was quite exciting. I was able to learn the basic techniques of pole dancing. It made me feel free and liberated - and was a spectacular workout. I thought about writing about the history of the pole or why women are likened to felines - as we were instructed to slink back to standing positions like a cat - but I can draw my own conclusions as to why felines and feminity go hand-in-hand. When I got in, I was required to eat (as per the rules of the game) so I began with the basics - olive oil and onions. As I peeled and chopped the onion I began to cry... and it wasn't from missing old life, which usually sparks a little bit of a cry fest... it was the onions. Today's question is: why do onions make you cry?
A: It is not the odor of an onion that makes you cry, it a gas that is released while cutting it. When slicing through an onion, the knife ruptures the cells causing an enzyme (allinase) to mix with the sulphur in the oinon. This produces sulfenic acid, which then gets converted by the LF-synthase enzyme into a gas called syn-propanethial-S-oxide, which is also known as the Lachrymatory Factor (‘crying factor'). Once this gas reaches our eyes, it causes an irritation which causes the body to produce tears to wash the irritant away.
Sources:
Food-Info.net: Why do onions make you cry?
Mental_floss Blog: Why do onions make you cry?
No comments:
Post a Comment