How can I tell if a stem in my soup is asparagus or broccoli without tasting it?

[FuSoYa]

There are a bunch of green stalks in there that have the girth of a thick asparagus or a slender broccoli. These stalks look exactly like both vegetables, complete with bumps along the stalk to confuse me even further. (broccoli stalks do have bumps sometimes where leaves grow from).

The tard who made this soup, which is chicken vegetable, decided that it would be a good idea to put LOTS of these things in, so the cup of soup I have is actually mostly made up of these stalks. I would like to be able to tell if these are broccoli or asparagus without tasting it, because if I take a bite and it turns out to be asparagus I will have to clean up the subsequent vomit on my desk.

 

[xfer]

Asparagus stalks have a sort of radial symmetry of short, pointy leaves, while broccoli stalks do not.

 

[chupe666]

most obvious solution:
have someone else taste it.

 

[chupe666]

well, better make that "have someone YOU TRUST taste it"

 

[FrostGiant]

I like asparagus. Broccoli is crap.

 

[goatschool]

i'm surpised you need to post this. there's no mental linkage going on there?

 

[FuSoYa]

Hmm, these stems here don't seem to have as many bumps as asparagus, but I have in the past seen asparagus that looks like this.

 

[xfer]

solution: LEARN TO LIKE ASPARAGUS, MISTER PICKY.

 

[FuSoYa]

mental linkage?

 

[chupe666]

you could go back to the soup's point of origination and taste it in front of the soup cook. once you taste the asparagus (as it undoubtedly will be), you can henceforth vomit on said chefsky and fling the bowl at his/her head whilst proclaiming "WHAT SORT OF AN IDIOT PUTS ASPARAGUS IN A CHICKEN SOUP?!?"

 

[xfer]

INGREDIENTS:
5 cups chicken broth salt and freshly ground pepper to taste one 16-ounce can asparagus spears
3 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 cup water 1 chicken breast, boned and sliced, shredded just before cooking
2 tablespoons minced cooked ham

In a medium pot, combine chicken broth, salt and pepper. Add the liquid from the can of asparagus. Thicken the broth with cornstarch. Slice the asparagus spears into 1-inch lengths and add them to the broth. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring the whole mixture to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the chicken to the broth and bring back to a boil, stirring briskly. Cook until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with ham bits; serve hot.

 

[xfer]

btw even though I would like chicken-asparagus soup, that recipe sucks. Canned asparagus and implied-canned chicken broth??

 

[chupe666]

So another one steals my schtick, hmmm?
Eh, that one's not so good anyway.

What's an asparagus?

 

[minxnim]

asparagus stems are really stringy. like, if you push on it with a fork, it always breaks down lengthwise (top to bottom) as it has about 60% more cellulose structure than broccoli. broccoli stems do not crush or break in a stringy manner.

 

[chupe666]

all these scientific type answers, when all you really had to do was have someone else taste it. you could've made a friend! or hit on someone. made a game out of it, like the pepsi challenge. the possibilities are limitless.

 

[FuSoYa]

Thank you preppy! This stuff is asparagus and I will now toss it out the window to the homeless dude below!

 

[FuSoYa]

Eric - if I asked someone to taste it for me they would have thought I was weird or something, and I can't afford that here especially after the news thing on sunday.

 

[minxnim]

i am glad that my years of horticulture training have finally had some solid use.

 

[chupe666]

"... and then this guy with a Lunarian Mummy Bat starts running after me yelling something about Alien Abduction as an Art Form and how he wanted me to taste some of his chicken asparagus soup... so I shot him."

 

[VangelicSurgeon]

wait, what if it was broccolinni!? those are tasty!