Why do US onions weep more than I do when peeling them?

This is a serious question. US onions contain far more water than any others I have come across in my culinary travels. They exude vast amounts of liquid and one has to fry them for ten or even fifteen minutes at high heat in order to persuade them to brown. (Normal onions should be able to brown in five minutes.) Are they being injected with extra water by farmers to make them weigh more? Does anyone have any inside knowledge of this? If they are being injected, why is nothing being done about it? Apart from infuriating the person trying to cook with them, they are wasteful of energy, as one has to fry them for so much longer. No, I'm not confused about varieties. I live in a country where all vegetables are imported from the USA and so I am familiar with the different sorts. And they are all more watery than those elsewhere!

Public Comments

1. Since the only onions I've ever had are United States grown onions I'm not sure what you are talking about. I do know that there are different varieties of onion in the United States: Sweet = more liquid; Hot & Strong = drier; Spanish yellow = average; White = solid, so as you can see we have many choices plus all those that are shipped in from foreign countries that I haven't tried. You might have gotten a Sweet onion (Walla Walla or Vidalia).
2. Beacause they were fed on a diet of GWB bullsh*t
3. Well Big D's got a point! But seriously if you live on the Turks & Caicos why would you worry too much about onions? The idea of Yankee farmers injecting every onion with water is risible to say the least. You may think this is a serious question. I don't!
4. cos youre stronger than them girl!!!
5. usa uses all different kinds of chemicals and they grow these crops all year round in artificial environment maybe tats why, interesting question
6. You are wrong. Try to peel Venezuelan onions...those chicks are superdooper cry babies!
7. I once bought a watermelon, not imported from the US though, can't remember where it was from but it definitely tasted like it had been injected with water, in both flavour and texture. There are always rumours about this. I wouldn't be surprised. I am sorry that you have no choice but to eat US vegetables. I would worry about GM more than anything. Strangely enough, the only link I could find on this matter was one for Egyptian water melons: http://www.christmasinegypt.com/Info-Center/Food-And-Drink.asp But the one I ate was not from Egypt as far as I am aware because I don't ever remember seeing any Egyptian watermelons in the supermarket from where I bought the melon. Injecting vegetables with water is a very crooked thing to do if you ask me! I have noticed that white onions seem more watery naturally compared to say red onions. What do you think. Just an observation, but maybe I am mistaken. I haven't bought white onions in a long time though, because I have a personal preference for the red variety. You are right to be annoyed. If food is being injected with water, it is worrying also from the point of view of safety and malicious contamination. Try and find out for definite. Take it up with any relevant Department if necessary. Next time you buy some onions, inspect closely to see if you can see any small syringe sized holes. Best wishes.