The plot of “The Third Ingredient,” a short story by 19th-century author William Sydney Porter (widely known as O. Henry), revolves around a trio of downtrodden boardinghouse tenants who collectively make the most out of not much. But really, the tale is about the vitalness of onions.
“A stew without an onion is worse’n a matinee without candy,” laments Hetty, the protagonist who obsesses over the allium deficiency in her meat-and-potatoes boil. Without it, she says, “it ain’t got
