Sliced onions are great for ... hamburgers

"Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it" - Mykelti Williamson in Forrest Gump.

Welcome to 2013! If you're reading this  you - like every other person on the planet - survived the Mayan Apocalypse. We're a few months late to attempt to debunk the latest end-of-the-world myth, but there are plenty of other myths to examine.

The photo to the left shows sliced onions. Bubba told Forrest Gump of all the wonderful uses for shrimp.

The same could be onions. You can grill it, fry it, boil it, bake it or saute it. It comes fresh, frozen, pickled, chopped or dehydrated.

There's steak and onions, liver and onions, peppered onions, French onion soup, salads and sandwiches.

People also have use for onions for reasons other than the normal culinary uses, including science experiments, with doctors known to prescribe onions as a natural laxative, relieve headaches, coughs and/or even hair loss.

The subject of onions came up shortly after I moved to my new home of Arizona. I moved to Phoenix in December and got to experience unseasonably cold weather, which led to me to catch a cold and experience flu-like symptoms.

A friend suggested a an interesting home-remedy of having a plate of freshly sliced onions near my bed, which would absorb the germs.

Sounds reasonable, right? Not according to Snopes.com.

The notable myth-busting site claims the legend of onions being a flu-virus collector goes back to the turn of the 20th century. However, this legend is false. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal in 2009, " Biologists say it's highly implausible that onions could attract flu virus as a bug zapper traps flies. Viruses require a living host to replicate and can't propel themselves out of a body and across a room."

Sad, but true. Onions have great flavor and add to so many dishes. However, a sliced onion gathers no flu-virus.

Until next time ...