Body odor

[Ian_Lee]

Do fellow posters find that people of certain countries have stronger body odors than the others have?

The best place to experience that is riding in a packed bus or subway.

I recalled when I was riding on a packed bus under sweltering summer heat in Mainland China, I almost fainted owing to the strong male body odor generated by other passengers.

It seems most Koreans also have a strong body odor that is characterized by garlic smell.

On the other hand, it seems Japanese don't have much odor.

In certain European cities, I also experience such odor-induced fainting in the subway.

On the other hand, most Americans seem not to radiate such strong odor.

But I would say the people with the strongest body odor should be South Asians with Sikhs in particular.

Anyhow, curiously if such body odor is generated by a pretty lady, no matter what race/nationality she is, I don't feel repelled at all

[bhchao]

Anyhow, curiously if such body odor is generated by a pretty lady, no matter what race/nationality she is, I don't feel repelled at all

Same here, especially if the lady is attractive and classy-looking, and the smell is pleasant.

[J.B. Frog]

Everyone's anonymous here, so, tell the truth . I heard once that Chinese think that Westerners 'stink of meat' because we eat so much of it. I have to ask, is that true?

I used to live in Africa where a diet of mealie meal caused Africans to smell different than Westerners, so I'm prepared to believe it.

Extra points for diplomatic phrasing .

I suppose if it were true, it would stop being so as one began to eat a Chinese diet anyway so, it shouldn't be all that offensive.

[vinhlong]

Personally I think Westerners and people of African origin have stronger body odor than Asians. And that people of African origin have stronger body odor than Westerners.

It may be because I'm of Asian origin and therefore am used to the Asian odor. Asian may smell more like garlic, but since I eat garlic myself I can't smell that other people smell like garlic. So I'm probably biased by this.

The Dutch often smell like sour milk. Surinamese of African origin often smell like red beans. In Suriname dogs usually bark only at people of African origin, because of their odor.

To me American smell just as bad as any other Westerner.

My theory is that people will be more used to their own type of odor and therefore experience less discomfort when confronted by strong odors of their own people.

Hope I didn't insult anyone with my post.

[yonglan]

I would generally agree that Japanese have little body odor, though changing diet may be changing that. I definitely think that a meat based diet makes people more smelly.

As for the rest of the world, I don't want to sound PC, but I think it's more a matter of different stinks rather than greater or lesser stinks. I mean BO in the US, Taiwan, and Korea has different smells. I think it then becomes a question of what are you used to. Koreans don't realize that the whole place reaks of garlic.

As for your perception that Americans smell less, I think that's simply a function of a) a morning shower (still not common in East Asia), and B) the heavy use of deoderant, antipersperant, and perfume/cologne. If someone showers the night before, while their lover will appreciate that, their fellow commuters may not. Many people in the world make fun of the American obsession with covering up all smells, though for once I agree with my fellow Americans as I hate all bodily odors.

As for your final comment, stinky ladies are disgusting

[Ian_Lee]

Not all bodily odors are stinky.

Many female animals generate certain odor to seduce male for mating during certain time of the year.

Personally I feel that the natural body odor from pretty lady (of course not the kind of smell from sweating) is really refreshing/seductive.

Actually in Chinese there is a term for such odor. It is called

女兒香

[skylee]

(of course not the kind of smell from sweating)

There is another Chinese saying (Confucius) - "如入芝蘭之室，久而不聞其香 ...... 如入鮑魚之肆，久而不聞其臭".

It has more than one interpretation. But the most obvious is that given enough time people get used to smells, good or foul. (I don't think I can get used to the smell of sweat, though.)

[Howard]

My host family in Nanjing kept joking with me that I smelt of cold meat...

People from different countries will always have a different "smell" (I'm not talking about body odor, just a smell in general). Chinese people generally smell of slightly warm rice... I guess smell is from the counties staple diet then!

[Itchyfeet]

My host family in Nanjing kept joking with me that I smelt of cold meat...

Your host family had a running joke about your odour? That's rough man!

I have a Korean friend who's also said this thing about Westerners smelling like meat.

I can't say that I've ever noticed the Koreans having any particular smell, although Seoul has a distinct odour to it. I always put this down to the city itself, rather than the people.

Thankfully, I don't remember this smell as resembling Kimchi. Otherwise I don't think I'd ever go back!

[TSkillet]

Personally I think Westerners and people of African origin have stronger body odor than Asians

Have you been on the Shanghai subway at 6pm on a weekday? Oh man.

[Ian_Lee]

Anyway, either men or women with 臭狐 will definitely turn everybody off.

What is 臭狐 (the stinky smell generated under one's arm if he/she has a problem with the sweat gland) in English?

Is real fox (狐) really that stinky?

[Howard]

the BAD smell is called "body odor", or "BO" for short... NOT good at all!

interesting that it is called "smelly fox" in chinese... I didn't realise fox smell bad

[vinhlong]

Ever smelled a wet dog?

[PollyWaffle]

i went to skool with too many lebanese... one guy, apart from being a terminal fool, stunk worse than anything i have experienced... it was like he had two spare arse holes under each armpit...

[rmontelatici]

Just a silly idea:

besides differences of body odor, could there also be differences in odor acuity (ie asian people smelling odors more easily than westeners ?)

[HashiriKata]

besides differences of body odor, could there also be differences in odor acuity (ie asian people smelling odors more easily than westeners ?)

Interesting thought! My wife often feels sorry for me when we walk pass some area with a bad smell, because she knows that my sense of smell is keener than usual.

[arthurdent]

I find a gruff smell to be perfectly wholesome, too much emphasis is placed on the latitude of myopic nomenclatures about odour and scent.

stuff and nonsense, i say!

[frozenmyth]

Hum, I watched a program on Animal Planet.

Smells, well, all animals (including humans of course) have their distinct smells. Even among the same species the distinction is down to the individual level.

They did some studies with regard to human smell and mate selection.

Perspirations were collected from male armpits and inserted into vials.

Those were presented to different women and their reactions were recorded. Some women thougth a particular vial smelled disgusting while others said they did not smell anything out of the same vial.

The theory was women tend to select a mate who exudes a smell which signifies a different immune system from her own. That increases the chance for survival of the offsrpings. When a woman finds a smell repugnant that maybe because the male has an immune system which is too similar with her own!

It looks like no matter what, in most species it's the ladies who have more power to make the selection of mates for reproduction. Not all true, but in most cases.

Smelly gorgerous women? The 2 mental formations do not go well together. I think I will move on to find another gorgerous woman who also has a smell which attracts me.

[xuechengfeng]

The absolute worst smelling people I have encountered out of the various people in my region, I would say, unfortunately, that I want to vomit when I smell most Somalians and Indians. Mexicans also sometimes smell odd.

I've never thought a Chinese person smelled funny.

[pazu]

When I was in Vietnam I smelled very bad too, it was so hot and humid there, and that was the first time I use body spray... arh!

Thais seem to be have little smell too, in my textbook there's a vocabulary of "aap-naam' (take a shower), and the example was "Kon tai chop aap-naam" (Thai like to take shower).