Two recommendations coming from an Austrian cook:
1) A variation - substitute the amount of water used for an equal portion of cooked up and blended/ground spinach.
2) After you've boiled your Spaetzel - Caramelize onions in a large frying pan butter (or oil if health conscious) and add, fry...
Hi - My first post on this forum.
I use a sharp knife and perhaps its because I'm 6'1 but I haven't cried for years while cutting any variety of onion. My two cents are that its probably the onion you were cutting that was the fluke.