That Asparagus Smell

"Only some of us have digestive systems that almost instantly turn asparagus into really foul smelling urine. And not everyone's nose can detect the odour, no matter how rank," writes Kenneth Kidd in the Toronto Star. According to the Star, we only figured out that some people don't "produce the smell" in the 1950s. But scientists don't know what makes the smell. Fear not: researchers are on this.

Further research, by Alan Hirsch, neurological director at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, says: "Those who adore asparagus, it turns out, tend to be 'dramatic, theatrical people who like to be the centre of attention.' They're also 'lively, enthusiastic, flirtatious, provocative and seductive,' with a penchant for 'flights of romantic fantasy.'"