Tryptophan Conspiracy
Where did I learn this? I wish I knew because I just had a revelation about how much bullshit it is...
The fable I had heard was this: Stuffing was invented because back in the olden days (Renaissance, medieval...I don't remember which) Lords or whoever would have a bunch of people over for dinner. They would serve turkey, and the tryptophan in Turkey would make them sleepy. All these nobles were getting very tired and falling asleep at the table, so of course the host must be poisoning them, or worse, is a witch. The story goes that people started stuffing the turkey with bread and spices to absorb the shock of the tryptophan on the body so people weren't quite as tired.
Anyway, as I lay on the couch feeling sleepy and lethargic after my ridiculously large turkey dinner, I was trying to remember what it was in turkey that made people sleepy. Then I remembered this fable that I had heard, and it occurred to me...if the stuffing is what absorbs the tryptophan, then the logical conclusion would be that if there was no stuffing (or other foods) and the turkey were consumed on an empty stomach, it ought to make you fall asleep with much more vigor than a regular turkey dinner! Of course this sounded so simple and gloriously straightforward until I realized that the chances of no one in the world ever consuming JUST turkey was pretty slim, and surely if the tryptophan alone were a powerful enough sedative to cause people to conk out on tables and scream witchcraft (even if that was a common scapegoat back then), surely SOMEONE would have noticed!
So...something must be bullshit...I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that both tryptophan and the stuffing fable are bullshit. First of all, I was unable to find even the tiniest inkling of that fable and have so decided that whoever told it to me was either pulling my leg or was insanely stupid (that is not to discount my own stupidity for accepting the story without questioning it until just now). I am going to keep a look out, but if it were true, Google surely would have yielded SOME results...Also, I found several sites (snopes, howstuffworks, etc) that discounted the theory and basically said, "No...you're tired because you ate too much..."
Anyway, I am le tired (Well, zen, have a nap). But I am going to go play some cards (because I am a card whore going through withdrawals). Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And don't fear the tryptophan!
~Rice
The fable I had heard was this: Stuffing was invented because back in the olden days (Renaissance, medieval...I don't remember which) Lords or whoever would have a bunch of people over for dinner. They would serve turkey, and the tryptophan in Turkey would make them sleepy. All these nobles were getting very tired and falling asleep at the table, so of course the host must be poisoning them, or worse, is a witch. The story goes that people started stuffing the turkey with bread and spices to absorb the shock of the tryptophan on the body so people weren't quite as tired.
Anyway, as I lay on the couch feeling sleepy and lethargic after my ridiculously large turkey dinner, I was trying to remember what it was in turkey that made people sleepy. Then I remembered this fable that I had heard, and it occurred to me...if the stuffing is what absorbs the tryptophan, then the logical conclusion would be that if there was no stuffing (or other foods) and the turkey were consumed on an empty stomach, it ought to make you fall asleep with much more vigor than a regular turkey dinner! Of course this sounded so simple and gloriously straightforward until I realized that the chances of no one in the world ever consuming JUST turkey was pretty slim, and surely if the tryptophan alone were a powerful enough sedative to cause people to conk out on tables and scream witchcraft (even if that was a common scapegoat back then), surely SOMEONE would have noticed!
So...something must be bullshit...I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that both tryptophan and the stuffing fable are bullshit. First of all, I was unable to find even the tiniest inkling of that fable and have so decided that whoever told it to me was either pulling my leg or was insanely stupid (that is not to discount my own stupidity for accepting the story without questioning it until just now). I am going to keep a look out, but if it were true, Google surely would have yielded SOME results...Also, I found several sites (snopes, howstuffworks, etc) that discounted the theory and basically said, "No...you're tired because you ate too much..."
Anyway, I am le tired (Well, zen, have a nap). But I am going to go play some cards (because I am a card whore going through withdrawals). Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And don't fear the tryptophan!
~Rice