Ah yes, dinner. 

You don't know what you feel like and, at the end of the day, are incapable of making any real decisions.  But you know, just as well, that you must eat.  So you turn to a kitchen ritual so old you don't remember who you learned it from--your mother, most likely, or perhaps your Florentine sister teaching you yet another Italian custom.  In any case, you know what must be done. 

You need to cook an onion.

This onion is your culinary oracle.  Once gently simmering in your pan it will divine the future of your kitchen table, wake up your palate and reveal that which you most desire--for tonight. 

So you deftly move through you conjuring ritual with the ease of someone who has done it often.  You pull a sweet onion from your cupboard and lovingly chop it up on your cutting board.  You heat up oil and slide your offering into the pan--a gift to the culinary gods.  

There is nothing left to do but let that humble kitchen staple begin to caramelize and wait for that moment of inspiration.  You feel the pungent scent of these bulbs drift through your home, conjuring up memories of comforting meals like rich soups and ratatouille and roasted root vegetables.  But it is dhal you finally settle on--yes dhal, cooked to perfection only once the onions are added to the lentils, along with garlic and cumin.  Yes, dhal.

The oracle has spoken.