The Onion Returns

Short-lived Joy of Tahitian Garlic-Haters

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, Feb. 15.

A LUSTY chorus of hallelujahs and praises to Allah echoed to the firma ment when the S.S. Cape Rom arrived at Papeete bearing a goodly supply of sound, fresh onions and garlic.

The exhaustion of many food staples and the threatened deprivation of others —due to the maritime strike —had been viewed with equanimity and philosophic calm.

But when the last onion and garlic disappeared consternation stalked in nearly every household and the air trembled with ululations of despair. Food had lost its savour; had become Dead Sea fruit, and as dust and ashes to the palate.

And what made matters worse was the Tantalus torture of seeing boxes and bar rels labelled onions and garlic brought ashore from the Hauraki, only to find the contents decayed and ruined by the long voyage through the tropics.

On the contrary there has been great rejoicing and unholy glee among the small band of onion and garlic haters, whose olfactory senses have been out raged—since time immemorial —by the foul odours haunting Papeete during the cooking hour For the first time in many years the highways and byways of the town have been fragrant and wholesome, free from the reek of frying onions, the ghastly fumes of boiling garlic as well as the stale shadows of dead and gone onions of many generations.

But that happy period of abeyance has passed and the atmosphere of Papeete has resumed its normal flavour.