Johnnie’s Hamburgers & Coneys – El Reno, Oklahoma

“In onion is strength; and a garden without it lacks flavour. The onion, in its satin wrappings, is among the most beautiful of vegetables; and it is the only one that represents the essence of things. It can almost be said to have a soul.” ~Charles Dudley Warner, American Novelist In the vividly hued threads that comprise a diverse tapestry of culinary preferences, onions stand as a polarizing ingredient. While some of us hail onions as the backbone of flavor, others recoil at their mere mention. In some cultures, onions are associated with bad breath and are avoided in social settings. This stigma can reinforce negative perceptions, making onions less appealing to those who prioritize etiquette. The fear of “onion breath” can deter people from enjoying dishes containing onions, especially in professional or romantic settings. This concern is not unfounded; the sulfer compounds in onions are released into the bloodstream and exhaled through the lungs, making their presence hard to mask. Much of that paragraph was excerpted or paraphrased from an article titled “Why Nobody Likes Onions.”   As an unabashed paramour of the edible, bulbous vegetable with a pungent odor, I love the alliaceous aromas emanating from a kitchen in…

Eischen’s Bar – Okarche, Oklahoma

Even by Oklahoma small town standards, Okarche is a small town.  It’s not much bigger than a village though too big to be considered a hamlet.   With a population of  1,141 as of the 2020 United States census, Okarche is one of the most interesting spots in a state replete with interesting spots.  For one thing, the name Okarche is a portmanteau derived from parts of three words, Oklahoma (OK), Arapaho (AR), and Cheyenne (CHE).  Okarche is situated in what was part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation, after the disgraceful Trail of Tears forced relocation of Southeastern tribes.  Though only sixteen miles west of Oklahoma City and fourteen miles north of El Reno (home of Johnnie’s onion burgers), Okarche is as rural as it gets with farming having provided the town’s economic  mainstay throughout its history. Ask anybody in Oklahoma what Okarche is known for and they probably won’t tell you about its unique name or history.  Everyone in the Sooner state seems to know Okarche for Eichen’s Bar, the “oldest bar in Oklahoma.”  As a watering hole, Eischen’s has its own history.  It first opened in 1896 (eleven years before Oklahoma became the 46th state in the union).   It’s on…