Grilled Asparagus

I would love it if my blog subscribers would participate in a study... whose pee smells when you eat asparagus??? I know,  it is very childish to ask this, but I thought everyone's did. I was teaching a phlebotomy class back in georgia and brought up this topic when teaching how to do a urinalysis. To my surprise, not everyone's pee smells when they eat asparagus. I was determined to find out why. I found this answer on The Discovery Channel's website. Here is the link and a bit of the article below. http://dsc.discovery.com/guides/skinny-on/asparagus.html

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.

So there you go. Nencki claimed that as your body metabolizes asparagus, it produces this smelly chemical, which your discriminating kidneys see fit to dump into the bladder.


Now if you're scowling at your screen and muttering, "My pee doesn't smell like asparagus," first ask yourself if you eat asparagus

Even if you do but lack the smell, you're still OK. In fact the fabulously funny book, The ReSearch Guide to Body Fluids (by Paul Spinrad, Juno Books, N.Y., 1994), says just 22 percent of survey respondents experience asparagus pee.


So, now that you know what I find fascinating, you will probably stop reading my blog :) But I hope
you will continue to use my blog and it's delicious recipes, including this one. 

GRILLED ASPARAGUS

Serves: 4

1 lb asparagus, washed and tough ends removed

1. Heat a grill over medium heat. Place grill pan on grill. 

This is what my grill pan looks like.

2. Toss asparagus with 1 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Add asparagus to grill pan. Cook 8-10 minutes, turning asparagus so it does not burn.
Enjoy!