Asparagus pee

[Zeemanb]

I think my body knows how to get the maximum effect from the smallest amount of asparagus. Very, very fast acting. And for that I am thankful.

The only thing that ever rivaled it, eclipsed it by quite a bit actually, was after a wine drinking bender at a friend's apartment in Washington Heights about five or so years ago. He dug back into some of his older, pretty potent vintages, mostly cabs. I think the four of us drank about three bottles each. I'd done nothing but eat, drink wine and Manhattans and walk up and down Manhattan for several days prior, so dehydration may have contributed to it. Anyway, the morning pee after that wine binge was something that will remain in my mind for the rest of my life. I promise you, any master level sommelier walking past the bathroom would have been enraptured by a dusky, tannic cloud so thick it pretty much deserved to be given a first, middle and last name. This was an "old vines" pee....it was magnificent.

[BeeZee]

One time after I ate a large amt of beets...pee was magenta!

[dividend]

I was just out to dinner with the new BF this week, and I talked him out of ordering a pound of asparagus at this steakhouse we were at. He said, "I like asparagus." And I said, "I do to, but I try to avoid ordering it on a date." Explaining that sucked some of the romance out of the conversation, to be sure. But, better safe than sorry, right?

FWIW, I've noticed brussel sprouts, and, to a lesser extent, other cruciferous vegetables have the same effects, albeit slightly less offensively.

[haresfur]

I was just out to dinner with the new BF this week, and I talked him out of ordering a pound of asparagus at this steakhouse we were at. He said, "I like asparagus." And I said, "I do to, but I try to avoid ordering it on a date." Explaining that sucked some of the romance out of the conversation, to be sure. But, better safe than sorry, right?

FWIW, I've noticed brussel sprouts, and, to a lesser extent, other cruciferous vegetables have the same effects, albeit slightly less offensively.

I've heard that pee isn't the only bodily fluid to be affected.

[Porthos]

For me it's some red wines and some single malt scotches. Both produce a distinct off-odor that is rather strong. As to the topic in general - I say that's why they invented air freshener.

[sazji]

Rhododendron honey, known in Turkish as "crazy honey" (because if you have too much, you can go delerious) is used medicinally here. Note - there are lots of different kinds of rhododendrons, and the one that's the source of "crazy honey" in the Black Sea is R. luteum, the intensely-scented yellow-flowered one that blooms before the leaves. It's usually referred to as an azalea in the US but there's no strict botanical distinction. Evidently some of the Himalayan ones produce a much more dangerous honey. That said, there have been a few deaths in Turkey from eating too much rhododendron honey.

So - to the smell. Normally you would have a teaspoonfull of "crazy honey" every morning as a "tonic." I've had up to a tablespoon, and didn't have any ill effects. However, it did make my pee smell like a yellow azalea bush!

[Bricktop]

I don't think suffer from asparagus pee (although I rarely eat asparagus), but I do eat a lot of beets, and I've discovered it takes only two beet-laden meals in a row to deeply color my urine.

I didn't notice and color change in my pee, but #2 was scary.

[insomniac]

just noticed this topic, I have heard it said that a certain club in London has a notice to members...

"Gentlemen are asked to refrain from urinating into the umbrella stands during the asparagus season"

[Lady T]

I was just out to dinner with the new BF this week, and I talked him out of ordering a pound of asparagus at this steakhouse we were at. He said, "I like asparagus." And I said, "I do to, but I try to avoid ordering it on a date." Explaining that sucked some of the romance out of the conversation, to be sure. But, better safe than sorry, right?

FWIW, I've noticed brussel sprouts, and, to a lesser extent, other cruciferous vegetables have the same effects, albeit slightly less offensively.

Add artichokes to the pile of vegetables which can cause...interesting...effects in the washroom, at least for some people.

I'm pleased to see a discussion of this effect; one of my favorite dishes on this earth is a platter of penne pasta tossed with a sauce of mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic -- cooked in olive oil with white wine and herbs, and finished with shredded Parmegian. I never fix that dish if I'm going to be in social contact with anybody in the next 48 hours, though.