News outlets love interviewing centenarians.
Such heartwarming human interest stories are a welcome break from a steady stream of bad news about crime, war, economic struggles and political strife.
One of their questions is invariably some form of the query, “To what do you attribute your long life?”
You never know what answer you’re going to get. Some folks chalk it up to clean living. One woman recently said she thought it was because she never got married.
But Jeanette Heimbecker has a unique take on the reason for her longevity:
Onions.
Heimbecker, of Caledonia, Michigan, was interviewed by WZZM-TV on the occasion of her 106th birthday on Sunday.
When the inevitable question arose, she surprised the news crew with her answer.
“Heimbecker thinks she’s got the secret to making it into the 100s all figured out — and it’s likely nothing you’ve heard before,” the station reported.
“Well, they kid about that because I like onions,” Heimbecker said. “Maybe it’s because I ate so many onions.”
Heimbecker’s family told WZZM that one of her favorite meals is an onion sandwich.
Not a sandwich with onions — “just bread, butter and onions.”
“She says it’s a tradition she doesn’t plan on giving up,” WZZM reported.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she comes from a family known for longevity.
“I had ancestors that lived to be quite old,” Heimbecker said.
With or without onion sandwiches, Heimbecker said she’s content with the life she’s lived — and she hopes God is, too.
“I hope the Lord is satisfied [with] what I can do. I’m sure that he has kept me alive for some purpose,” Heimbecker said.
“I’m ready to go when the Lord is ready for me.”
