Off Topic Shortages

It's that time of year again.

First of the crop usually in early October and another thing I'll probably have to go without this year due to this virus.

Will they let them in? I wonder if we'll ever see them again?.......................

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I remember the shouny onion man (spelling?) coming round the streets of porth as a kid.

Lifted my onions a few weeks back. Necks dried and in a hessian sack in the garage now. Should see me through til march / april at least.

 

That name you gave them "Shouny Onion man" or similar was something I remember well from my early life in Bridgend. They were a regular sight pushing their bikes laden with strings of onions around the streets where I lived.

From memory a few of them lodged in Edwards Street off Nolton Sreet up the side of the Ranch (formerly Harris's) fish and chip shop. I remember they used to leave their bikes (minus onions ) outside on the pavement overnight - something you'd never do these days.

As for your spelling and just for your info, do you know where the name we gave them came from? It's actually a Welsh corruption of the earlier established English version "Jonny Onions" - in other words Sioni Onions - interesting eh?

 

The Ranch became a bonfire a few months ago. Now fenced off, derelict and probably awaiting demolition with the former Welcome to Town next door.

Also I saw this week that the Oldcastle has closed with metal coverings on the windows.

Bridgend town in the throes of death.

 

Thanks for the clarification of the name. Makes sense over my erroneous spelling. Ive been away too long. Should have thought really.

Youre right about the bikes as well. Theyd probably go missing even if you chained them to a lamp post these days.

Anyway, I have onions but wont be touring the neighbourhood with them.
They're mine, all mine.

 

Don't know what it is remote, but the Froggy onions seem totally different to the ones we grow over here.

English (Welsh ) varieties can blow your head off when raw but work great when cooked. On the other hand the Froggy onions are sweet and mild - you can almost eat them like an apple. Wouldn't recommend it though if you're going to have a close encounter of the Masky kind.....

 

Best eaten to ensure such an encounter doesn't occur.

 

Was gonna report you to the moderator, but he’s in on it too! Bah!
Having thought about it though, reminds me of how Mrs Masky lifted Mr Masky’s onions the other night...counting loud one, two, three, four skins, five, six....and so on!

 

I knew of the ‘legend’ of the onion man from France, with his bicycle, striped jersey and beret but NEVER saw one. I assumed they were a stereotypical character made up to make us think that was what French people were like!
So they really existed and visited Cardiff then?

 

Indeed they did R&W.

Not sure how extensive they were in other areas, but they were a familiar sight around my birthplace town of Bridgend in the late 60's. Not so sure I can remember them wearing the striped jersies all the time, but they invariably wore a beret pushing their bikes and spoke fluent Froglish.....

I can remember one father and son combo regularly calling 3 times a year at some business premises I had in Porthcawl whilst doing their rounds right up to the Millenium. We used to have some fun with them and threatened to boycott their onions because they'd banned our beef over there in the "mad cow disease" era.

In fact the same father and son combo graduated to a white van (with French plates) and called around the Newton area of Porthcawl where I now live right up until just a few years back - must admit I haven't seen them for a few years now.

 

What about the rag and bone man in treforest giving out goldfish that as soon as you got them home they started doing what I thought was the backstroke.just saying.

 

Probably Masky in a former employment.

 

Last seen in Bridgend about 10 years ago. Not been back since the town centre died on it's ar$e. Probably banned from MacArthur Glen where they would do some good business.

 

I’m amazed that after the cost of the ferry from France and the accommodation over here, they would make enough selling onions to make it worthwhile.

 

Ah bcfcr&w, they knew their onions.

I'll get me coat.

 

Certainly had them up the Rhondda as well.

 

we had one come to us in the Dulais Valley, Neath. And when you consider we lived half a mile out of the village and houses were extremely far apart by us, I always wondered what made him come our way. it was a long push up the valley from our place.