Am i the only person that notices this? is this yet another sign of my slowly deteriorating sanity? Some people’s BO simply smells exactly like what it is (BO), but i’ve noticed some peoples BO smell like curry. Maybe it’s because they eat a lot of curry?
Please tell me i’m not the only person that notices this and the answer would also be greatly appreciated.
The way a person smells is heavily influenced by their diet. People who eat a lot of curry smell like curry for this reason.
That seems like a reasonable explanation, but why do i only notice with curry? What’s curry made out of anyways?
I’m gonna throw out a wild guess and say that the same compounds in the spices that give curry its distinct odor are excreted by the body in sweat and oil. That’s the case with garlic, anyway.
I’ve always imaged that Curry smells like Old Spice.
Actually, I think the aroma you have in mind is cumin, which is used in making curry. I have always thought of it the other way around: cumin smells like body order, not that body order smells like cumin (or curry).
Curry is a blended spice, so no answer is meaningful on that one. Sorry.
Could be you only notice people who smell like curry because it’s a smell you can identify easily. Consider it your super-power. My Superpower is the ability to sniff out diabetics. They smell like play-dough to me.
Some times old men smell like chili. To me at least.
There is always the possibility that your BO (or anyone’s) smells like something to someone else. I’ve read several accounts from American Indians who mention quite pointedly that most white people they encountered smelled like spoiled milk, because of the dairy in the average white person’s diet. The traditional Plains Indian diet didn’t include much, if any, dairy, so the difference in smell was quite obvious to them.
An African American friend of mine told me that he and all his friends always thought white people smell like baloney. Really.
Read the Chinese point of view from the 19th century and you’ll see mention of “butter-smelling Westerners.”
Curry spices are many and varied. Without doubt the one that comes through the strongest in BO is fenugreek. Black pepper, cumin, and garlic also contribute to the mix. Once in college when I was living on a lot of Indian food I started to smell like coriander seed, which I thought was the best of all. Haven’t been able to replicate that feat.
My experience is that an awful lot of Asian folk in Britain smell like Curry - undoubtedly because they eat an awful lot of the stuff. Heck, whole streets can smell like Curry in a strongly Asian community.
Personally I think this is great because I love a good Curry, and Asians seem to know how to make the most wonderful dishes. If my opening paragraph offends anyone, I apologise, there is certainly no malice intended. As I say, this is only my experience and is probably subject to my geography.
Can I ask, though, how the author of the OP knows specifically that it is the BO that he is smelling and not odours from the hair/clothing?
I know for a fact that just handling raw onions (cutting and peeling) will make me smell like them for DAYS afterwards. In small amounts it’s not noticable unless you get real close, but when I worked fast food and prepped enough for the whole store…WHOA! And it wasn’t just my hands, I actually SWEAT the smell…along with other bodily fluids being discussed in another thread…
I remember i always had a half-arsed reason for believing it was BO instead just a smell that was inbedded on the person. I just remembered what (or who) that reason was. It’s my uncle. My uncle doesn’t like to bath, and i wouldn’t be surpised if he didn’t even know what curry is(meaning this guy doesn’t eat curry).
Hey, it may be half-arsed, but it’s led to be to believe it’s BO to this day.
When I was living in the Western Pacific (on an island) a native friend asked me why all Americans smelled like dead meat?
this is gonna sound REALLY dumb…but i remember, while growing up we [my sisters, our friends and I] thought white people smelled like wet dogs…maybe it was because alot of them their dogs better than their kids. :rolleyes:
my friend cris told me that also,no joke.
I made myself curried couscous last night and ate the leftovers this morning, and my pits, not my clothes or anything else, smell like curry. I’ve showered since then. It’s amazing.
To me, Old Spice smells exactly like urinal cakes.
I cannot bear to be near anyone who wears Old Spice. It is actual torture.
I fear I am alone in this unusual smell malfunction.