CCDN 231: The Onion Data Board!

Well, I've finished the Onion Data Board. The laser cutting worked out really well, and the way that I designed the board means that all the data should be right there. The central rings are indicative of the senses each person focussed on. The outer layer is sight, and then continues with sound, touch, smell, taste inwards. The locations of the segment correlate to the subjects names around the board. Phrases used to describe the different aspects of chopping the onion are scattered around the board, and then various colours of thread link them to the people that said them. The center also demonstrates the cutting used by the subjects, as I replicated their cutting techniques as well. The onion juices also soaked into the wood at that point, giving the wood an onion scent as a last final addition and a center focus.

Onions are a very common component in student cooking. However, despite the universality of the onion in terms of usage, the way in which everyone experiences chopping the vegetable is extremely different. When prompted to speak of their experiences, my test subjects all decided to primarily focus on separate elements of the experience. The experience is at its very core one of multiple senses that for many dredges up emotions and memories. And this is only after you pull back to see the whole experience, because for many, the most defining experience of chopping onions is the stinging, eye-watering pain that it causes. But, upon a closer look, there is so much more to it.

Sight

The onions outer layer completely misrepresents what is on the inside. The brown, dry, papery, dead layer suggests nothing of the succulent flesh that resides beneath. When the outer layer cracks, the burst of light colour beneath completely shatters that image of dirty, brittle exterior. The flesh bleeds when cut, the juices stain the cutting board. Some of my subject chose to focus the visual experience not on the colours or textures, but on the rhythmic movement of the blade, and acted with care. Thomas and Henrietta focussed on the Visual.

Sound

The cutting of the onions goes through three different sonorous phases. Initially, the cracking of the papery skin is loud and echoing. This auditory experience is substituted by the crunching of the individual layers of the onion failing under the knife, and this noise slowly decays into a rhythmic clacking of the knife on the board. Occasionally the knife gouged the board as well, an element I physically explored on this medium of presentation. Mark focussed on the Sound.

Touch

Some of the onions seemed to have small pieces of dirt on them, which rolled and disintegrated under the fingers, letting the touch experience shift to the papery feel of the onion. The cracking of the outer layer is violent and the onion can sometimes fall from the hands to the bench. The skin then shifts to spongy and resistant, with the dry exterior giving way to stickiness with the juices leaving the cells of the onion. Gemma and Michael focussed on the Touch.

 Smell

The smell is virtually non-existent until the first incision is made. Soon after that, the smell rises quickly, and creates an atmosphere of expectation. Soon, the cooking will begin. The scent of the onions permeates the fingers, and the light acidity stings in the nostrils. The smell is strong, and to some unpleasant, while others enjoy the scent. Tom and Gemma focussed on the Smell.

Taste

Considering nothing was eaten, this was a hard one to pin down for my subjects. Almost all of them claimed there had not been a taste component, while the other insisted she could taste the raw onion as a sort of aura around the cutting area. The taste aligns heavily with the smell in that regard, as they are inextricably linked. Henrietta alone focussed on the taste.