Because Sometimes, You Have To Know

Food is important in our household. I'm not sure if it's because we both grew up on cheap food (think fish sticks, cheese sandwiches, frozen vegetables and roman noodles) or simply because my husband and I both love to eat. Whatever the reason, we don't scrimp and save when it comes to nutrition. (Sadly, my mother wasn't as creative as the mother who made the fish sticks and star-carrots in the picture below).

This means different things for each of us. For Mike, it means an occasional nice rack of ribs, whole turkeys and chickens for our rotisserie, stuffing and mashed potatoes to go with those turkeys and chickens, and lots of fish. Granted, I love the fish and the chickens and turkeys, but for me, not scrimping means I spend a ton of money on every fresh fruits and veggies, Boca Burgers, my $6 jars of Better 'n Peanut Butter, egg whites, chicken and turkey sausage, sweet potatoes and healthy snacks. (Sadly, our food never comes out looking as pretty as whatever that is below. But I promise you, it tastes even better because my husband is an incredible cook!)

One of my favorite vegetables is asparagus.

Unfortunately, I am the only one in my family that really enjoys it. Or maybe that's a good thing - more for me! I usually saute it with a bit of garlic salt and oregano or maybe a little soy sauce. I also like to bake it with lemon pepper.

The only thing I do NOT like about asparagus is the...shall we say...peculiar odor of my urine after eating it. If you eat asparagus, you must know what I'm talking about. It's pretty nasty. I read once that asparagus is a great vegetable to eat to prevent hang-overs because it helps flush out your system, so I've chalked the odor up to that.

Until today.

I had to Google it. Yes, if you must know, this fresh wave of curiosity was prompted by eating some asparagus last night with dinner.

What I found was this fantastic, hilarious article by Hannah Holmes, a regular contributor to the Discover Channel Online. If you have the time, I suggest you read the entire article, because it's funny, yet informative.

The simple answer is this:

In 1891 a scientist named "Nencki" had so very little to do that he convinced four guys to eat seven kilograms of asparagus (that's about three and a half pounds each). He collected the pertinent pee, worked some medieval magic on it, and concluded that the smell was due to a metabolite called methanethiol.

What is this methanethiol metabolite made of that produces such a smell? Mostly sulfur, with a splash of hydrogen and carbon, a brew famous for its effect in rotten eggs, cabbages and paper mills.

Ah...that totally makes sense now.

I admit I really wanted a more interesting answer than that. I wanted to find out that asparagus is a magic vegetable so powerful, it cleans all your organs and makes them shiny and new like a baby's. Or maybe, if you saved your urine after eating asparagus, you could sprinkle it around you in a circle, close your eyes, spin three times, and make all your dreams come true.

But alas, that is not to be.

What crazy-ass things have you just had to Google? Please do share what you've learned because, what's better on a Thursday morning than a good dose of useless information?