Happy Onion Rings Day!

Happy Onion Rings Day!  Its about time we had another tasty day to celebrate. It's also been a long time since I've had onion rings so it is fortuitous to celebrate them today since they've been on my mind anyway.   In the hierarchy of less-than-healthy sides French fries are the baseline, then come tater tots, and then the king of them all - onion rings. Sauces and seasonings may nudge this ranking a bit but this is basically how the universe has ordered things. I think we can all agree that Mac & Cheese is in a category of its own though.   Onion rings are rich and crisp and delicious, surprisingly sweet for a flavor so often related to being spicy and the source of tears. But something about the process of breading them in a flavorful coating and deep-frying them in a vat of oil brings out the delicious flavors hidden inside. Onion rings come in towers and flowers, giant-sized and tiny, and they’re a fan favorite all around the world. There isn't a creature with taste buds on this planet that doesn't enjoy onion rings and fewer still who can abstain from eating themselves sick on these greasy treats.   Given their association with fairs and burger joints, you may be surprised to learn that onion rings aren’t just an invention of the western world. There’s also evidence that people experimented with the idea of covering strips of onion with batter and deep-frying them in developing countries too. Historians have even found examples of onion ring-like recipes that date back as far as 1802 in John Mollard's cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined. Imagine onion rings being considered fine dining. Kind of makes you want to wear your best t-shirt the next time you go to Chili's, right?  Despite their long cultural culinary history there are still restaurants all across the US in operation today that claim to be the originators of the idea. But that kind of claim is on par with hanging a "world's best coffee" sign in your window. Everyone knows its marketing BS but we can't help ourselves from suspending disbelief to feel that what we are stuffing ourselves with is somehow special.   Anyway, Onion Rings Day is your opportunity to get out there and enjoy your favorite deep-fried savory treat. Your treat-of-choice need not be made of onions or even ring-shaped. Remember, onion rings were just the inspiration for many of the fried snacks and sides that we enjoy today. French fries, deep-fried brie, and fried chicken are all delicious alternatives that you can try if you fancy something different.  And if you don't want a gut bomb that will make you take a two-hour nap later, you can always find healthier versions of those treats too. You can use a cleaner oil rather than lard; or bake them in the oven. Try a lighter batter or find something not bread-based to coat them in. There are so many options out there to try and enjoy that you can probably go the rest of your life without ever having the same things twice. I'm not going to say that there are as many or more combinations of friable foods, batters, seasonings, and sauces as there are possible chess moves, of which there are more than the all the atoms in the observable universe,...... But, it's close.   But, as a reminder we are called Fit & Able here, and while we genuinely believe that anyone of any age, ability, or skill level can be fit and able, and while we certainly enjoy tasty, greasy treats on occasion, you do need to be mindful of what you're putting in your body.