Shandong people love to eat onions, and I am no exception. It’s almost to the point of “I can’t live without onions for a day.” Pancakes rolled with green onions, dipped in soybean paste... The spicy and slightly sweet green onions make your whole body feel comfortable, and your internal organs feel comfortable.

I remember the first time I ate raw green onions was in the winter when I was six years old. That day, the north wind wrapped snowflakes flying all over the sky. There was not much food at home, so my brother and I lay on the window sill, waiting for our mother to come back. Seeing that it was getting dark, my mother hurriedly walked into the house, carrying a paper package in her hand. My brother and I cheered and surrounded us. My mother opened the paper bag and said, "There is salted fish to eat tonight. I waited in line for a long time to buy it."

My brother and I watched excitedly Mom held the salted fish with tongs and grilled it on the fire. The fish was grilled until it was slightly charred and yellow on both sides. Then mom took out a pancake from the basket on the earthenware jar. , tore it in half, rolled it with salted fish for my brother and me, and carefully rolled it with a scallion, and then handed it to me. I was so hungry that I didn't even think much about it, so I took the pancake and bit it. The salty aroma of the fish, the spiciness of the green onions, and the wheat aroma of the pancake blended together. The meal was so breathtaking that I will never forget it. It was this time that made me fall in love with green onions.

Green onions can be eaten raw or cooked. Northerners cannot do without onions when cooking. After the oil pan is heated, be sure to put the chopped green onions into the pot first; when cooking chicken and fish, you should also cut green onions into segments or tie them into knots. Not to mention cold salad. Shredded green onions are mixed with preserved eggs, shrimp skins are mixed with scallions, tofu skins are mixed with white scallions... Only with green onions can the dishes have flavor. Green onions are not only used as seasonings and auxiliary ingredients, but also as main ingredients. My favorite foods such as fried lamb with green onions and braised tendons with green onions are mainly based on green onions. The tender and silky green onions are delicious in your mouth. Southerners don't seem to be as fond of onions as northerners, and onions are much smaller. I remember when I was a child, I went to Jiangsu with my father to visit relatives. There was a patch of green onions planted in front of my aunt’s house. They were no more than ankle high and as thin as bamboo chopsticks. Dad told me this is called "chives". Many years later, I still burst into laughter when I think of my uncle’s words: “Give me a green onion to eat.”

Shandong green onions are plump and have long stems and lush leaves. They are true green onions. Zhangqiu green onions in the suburbs of Jinan are especially famous. The literati of the past dynasties also left many masterpieces about onions. Lu You once wrote a poem: "Wheat rice in the earthenware basin is accompanied by a neighbor, and yellow mushrooms and green vegetables are placed in empty chopsticks. There is no distinction between rich and low, and the soup is made with green onions." This means that people like to eat green onions regardless of high or low. it. The famous writer Lao She praised the whiteness of Zhangqiu's green onions in his article "Arrived in Jinan", like folded pastries or beautiful white silk. In his article "Remembering Qingdao", gourmet Mr. Liang Shiqiu compared Shandong's green onions to sugar cane: "...Then there are green onions from nearby Weixian County, which are as thick as sugar cane, tender and juicy. One day, a guest came from afar and stopped at a humble house. The only thing he asked for was green onions for pancakes, but he ordered them and cut them into pieces, like sugar cane, and piled them on a big plate. The guests were satisfied with all the green onions in their lives." Not only do Shandong people love to eat it, but many friends from other places also miss it. It is said that when director Jia Zhangke came to Jinan, he ate six "pancakes rolled with green onions" in one sitting!

Onions can remove fishy smell, relieve mutton, and add fragrance. They are an indispensable condiment for daily life at home. Sometimes when you find that there are not enough green onions when cooking, it is common to "borrow" one from your neighbor's house. Similarly, if my neighbor’s house doesn’t have enough green onions, he will come to my house to “borrow” them. The "borrowed" green onions do not need to be returned. The spicy scallions contain deep love and friendship between neighbors. In addition, green onion is also a traditional Chinese medicine, which has the effects of releasing, tonifying yang, detoxifying, dispelling wind, producing sweat, reducing swelling and dispersing blood stasis. When you have a cold, drink a bowl of soup made with onion roots and ginger slices to induce sweating, and the cold will be more than half gone. If you have another bowl of egg and green onion soup, it will be more comfortable.

There is a proverb among the people in the north: "If you eat a green onion often, you will not be deaf for ninety years. I advise you not to be arrogant and hoe the soil in front of the house." Fill a pot or some discarded plastic boxes with soil, plant the green onion seedlings with roots, and green green onion leaves will grow. When stir-frying and making soup, pinch a few green onion leaves and put them in, and the flavor of the day will come out.

The taste of onions is actually the taste of life.