# Who in the heck is Saffron? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 1999, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173 "1999-09-03T11:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/1 "1999-09-03T11:44:00Z")
And why is she mad about me? ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/2 "1999-09-03T12:17:00Z")
According to this month’s National Geographic, in a story about Kashmir, it is the “world’s most costly spice”. So which one of the Spice Girls is making the most money nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/3 "1999-09-03T12:20:00Z")
I am Saffron. And I wish Donny had never written that damn song! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/4 "1999-09-03T12:58:00Z")
I thought she was Edina’s daughter, sweetie! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/5 "1999-09-03T13:07:00Z")
No, Flora, she became Sylvia’s mother. ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/6 "1999-09-03T13:37:00Z")
Ummm… well… saffron and fourteen were slang names for specific ‘designer’ drugs in the late sixties… but I’m sure this has nothing to do with Donovan’s lyrics… ---
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stevie_Rave_On)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/7 "1999-09-03T15:08:00Z")
Hey, what’s the name of that song, and who is the original artist? ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/8 "1999-09-03T16:43:00Z")
I don’t know if it is _the_ answer but one of saffron’s notable qualities is its bright yellow color. ## The song is “Mellow Yellow” by Donavan (last name Leitch, but he didn’t use it in his stage name). “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/9 "1999-09-03T16:47:00Z")
uh, Don **o** van. Sorry. BTW, he wasn’t noted for readily understandable lyrics. Kind of a feel-good, peace-love-dope kinda guy. So don’t look too far for deep meanings. ## Nice voice though – had some good songs. “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![DrPorkchop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DrPorkchop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrPorkchop)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/10 "1999-09-04T05:07:00Z")
I “discovered” Donovan a few years back when I heard _Season of the Witch at the_ at the end of the movie _To Die For_. I got his Greates Hits, and found out that I like a lot of his songs. I notice them in different movies now, like _Jennifer Juniper_ in _Election_. Some people thyink I’m wierd for liking Donovan. I’ll tell you who’s wierd; those people who listen to stuff like Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, and Korn. ---
**Author:** ![DrPorkchop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DrPorkchop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrPorkchop)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/11 "1999-09-04T05:09:00Z")
It’s tough typing with these big Mickey Mouse gloves stuck on my hands. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/12 "1999-09-04T05:59:00Z")
Continuing our yellow theme – I saw in the paper today that they have re-released “Yellow Submarine”. Can’t wait to see it again. ## Must be something about yellow hippie stuff in the air lately. “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/13 "1999-09-03T18:03:00Z")
BTW, saffron is _really_ expensive. You can buy it at the grocery store but the regular size spice jar has a little envelope inside with some small fraction of an ounce of saffron in it. If your grocery has the little price-per-pound tags on the shelf check it out sometime. Last time I looked it was thousands of dollars per pound. On the other hand, a little goes a long way. I can’t verify this, but IIRC the expense is due to the difficulty in harvesting the stuff. It is the pollen from some flower and they have to shake nine zillion blossoms to get a useful amount. * * * “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/14 "1999-09-03T18:29:00Z")
It’s the ground dried stigma (not stamen) of an crocus flower, Crocus sativus. Hand-gathered and yes, very expensive. Can’t make a lot of indian dishes without it, though. * * * “Eppur, si muove!” - Galileo Galilei ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/15 "1999-09-03T19:02:00Z")
“From each crocus flower patient hands will pluck three vivid garnet strands of saffron. An acre yields only a few pounds of the the world’s most costly spice.” Nat. Geog. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/16 "1999-09-03T20:30:00Z")
Gaudere; I’ve had success making India dishes with something they call saffron powder. It comes for the same flower, but is just the ground up petals (or something). The flavor is not exactly the same, but for about 1/1000th of the price, I find it a reasonable substitute. This tip of the day was brought to you by the “Tastes Like chicken Kitchens” * * * “I think it would be a great idea” Mohandas Ghandi’s answer when asked what he thought of Western civilization ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/17 "1999-09-04T00:51:00Z")
**JoeyBlades** : You may have tongue firmly planted in cheek, but let’s not confuse the kids. Saffron and fourteen were **NOT** slang terms for anything, ULs to the contrary. His reference to “electrical banana” and the title, “Mellow Yellow” were jokes that got taken a little too seriously. As the drug craze got out of hand in the late 60’s, people were trying all kinds of nutty things to get high. The Village Voice, satirizing this trend, published a joke recipe for making a hallucinogen from banana peels. Some folks (probably already high on something) took it for real and it led to the smoking of banana skins and other silliness. I’m fairly sure that Donovan was playing along with the parody, but I guess I can’t be certain. Another Urban Legend was born…and is now revived thanks to a pants commercial? This world just gets wackier all the time…I love it! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/18 "1999-09-04T01:23:00Z")
For years, I assumed that “mellow yellow” was some kind of psychedelic drug reference, and perhaps it was. However, according to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (written by Jon Pareles and Patricia Romanowski), Donovan NOW says the song was actually about a dildo! I’m not sure I want to know any more about it! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/19 "1999-09-04T01:49:00Z")
The yellow robes worn by certain Buddhist sects are invariably described as “saffron robes”. I presume they don’t actually use saffron as a dye. And on the subject of “yellow” pertaining to the Sixties, I also recall the song “Don’t Eat Yellow Snow” (can’t think of the artist- Zappa?) and the movie “I am curious-Yellow”. ---
**Author:** ![BugZap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b77776/32.png) [@BugZap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BugZap)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173/20 "1999-09-04T03:15:00Z")
For years, I assumed that “mellow yellow” was some kind of psychedelic drug reference, and perhaps it was. Yeah, that’s the one that started the bannana peel smoking craze. Seriously. They call it mellow yellow, quite rightly. And also, before the dildoe story, they used to tell that it was somehow about the guitar player, ‘lovin’ spoonful’, with john sebastian, who used the nickname ‘banana’, Zal Yavonsky, or something like that, for his real name. (e lectric al ban an a, goin to be a sudden craze, elecrical banana, bound to be the very next phase.) OK, I guess that works for vibrator. Banana me now? Maybe Donovan’s just putting people on. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-heck-is-saffron/3173.md?page=2)