Things whose smell reminds you of pee

[Carb0nBased 564]

I think I may have posted something about this before, but probably as a comment in a different thread. I thought it would be fun to start a thread devoted completely to this.

Back in December when I was at a nursery looking for a Christmas tree, they had paperwhites (a type of narcissus) for sale outside. I noticed that the smell very much reminded me of urine, and was totally not what I'd expect from a flower. I have looked online at some people describing the smell, and I'm not the only one to think that. It is claimed that the chemical compound that produces this urine-like scent is indole, which is the same compound that gives the bacterium E. coli its stink. As a biologist, I have smelled E. coli cultures, and they DO have a gross stink, but not in a way that reminds me of pee--and certainly not in the way that paperwhites do. I wouldn't say that paperwhites smell disgusting--but they don't smell floral either. It is also said that jasmine and gardenias have indole in them, although jasmine in particular contains other compounds that give it its characteristic sweet scent (that are shared with honeysuckle and a few other plants). I certainly don't think jasmine smells like pee--although for something so romantic-smelling, it is interesting to think that there's a bit of pee smell hidden in it 🙂.

Recently the weather here has been a bit more spring-y and less wintry, and I was reminded that very early in springtime, when the grass is green and damp and the sun comes out for the first few days, the ground gives off an earthy smell that in some places is a bit reminiscent of pee as well. Though that COULD be because some animals have actually peed there and the smell is evaporating for the first time due to the sun.

I've also noticed zucchini having a smell that reminds me a bit of pee--not on the counter or when cooking, but after eating it, there's a sort of aftertaste, an "aftersmell" if you will, that's a tiny bit pee-like.

What other things have people on here noticed that reminded them a bit of pee?

[Ms. Tito 2,089]

The entire Boston or New York subway. 

[Carb0nBased 564]

11 hours ago, Ms. Tito said:

The entire Boston or New York subway. 

Well, that probably literally IS pee lol!

Edited May 22 by Carb0nBased

[IdoPiddleSome2 8]

The info wasn't in the 6 semester-hours of undergrad INorganic Chem in my College-Adventure. But I have intel the components used in making a bunch of Perfume-products people buy--taken individually--would motivate fly-larvae to bail from a solid-waste-transport-vehicle. Some Shipmates & I examined an allged recipe for a WW2 Chemical Harrassing-agent. We had no Internet then, but we had access to a wealth of chemistry references & we had time on our hands. The mixture ('twas told-for-true) defied washing-off of skin or out of textiles, & caused the target to smell as if he'd just suffered some kind of massive fecal incontinence. The recipe named some of the ingredients by obsolete commercial names, so it took some digging. We found every ingredient but SOME of the liquid "vehicle" was a Perfumer's base preparation of some sort--either imparting a fecal smell or the bouquet of decaying meat if mixed not-quite-right.

Between a Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy in 1957 & too many years of chain-smoking in my 20s & 30s, I've a sense(?) of smell now that's only a vague shadow of what it may have been. So I don't default to keeping flowers. But Pee is a cocktail of Mammalian come-hither products, & IIRC I've seen stores nearly trying to give away Paperwhites in other years. Find me a place where Planters don't = urban-Whitetail-feeders, I just might investigate further. Best regards, all.

[rsrrsr 29]

i had bún măng vịt at a restaurant and thought it had a distinctly pissy smell - probably from the bamboo.
absolutely wonderful dish - if we weren't on a pee fetish forum lol i'd give their name and recommend them.
i certainly wouldn't call it dirty, gross, anything like that! it wasn't 'off' or bad or really any negative word i could think of - just nice in that comforting, familiar way pee can smell nice.
it's a perfect light hot noodle soup for summer - if any place nearby you serves it i'd vvv recommend giving it a try!