Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Blood, Sweat, Curry And A Birthday

I was chatting with the best parasitologist in the world yesterday and she asked me something that was uncannily topical. Uncanny because it was only on Friday last week that I had sent music biz bro a text about the subject. Topical because it was a topic.

Darwin asked me what I thought about the theory that, when a chap eats a lot of curry, the sweat can start to smell of it. Of course Darwin herself smells of chocolate cake and science labs, but I thought it was an interesting question, one that I've puzzled about for some time.

In the life formerly known as a married one I would have probably eaten rice and curry once or twice a week. On really good weeks I just might have hit the number three and a holiday to Sri Lanka would throw the figure on the how many curries a week has RD eatenometer off the scale.

Then, during the segment of my life during which I lived on my own for a year or so, saw me eating less home cooked rice and curry but far more from the Bengal Brasserie, the absofuckingtastic Indian at the end of the road. I guess the frequency must have gone to about twice a week.

Now, back at the 'rents, the curryometer has gone to new extreme levels, the sort of high numbers that are usually associated with Sri Lankan public holidays, calories absorbed in an average Christmas holiday or the number of people that read Indi.ca.

I'm certainly not complaining. The food is great, plentiful, delicious and welcome. It comes at me from all angles and only occasionally leaves me yearning for the blandness of some chips or a sausage or two. Anything not eaten, in true Sri Lankan parent style, is tupperwared and put in the fridge, to reappear the next day/week/month or year in a different form.

But there is a downside, the smell. After several days of eating R+C I start to feel as if it's somehow sweating its way out of me. The topical relevance to my discussion with Darwin is that I received a text, or SMS in Singlish, from music biz bro last Friday. He was at my parents' place, I was at work. He was trying to persuade me to go back there by describing the mouthwateringness of the mutton curry my Dad had made and that they were tucking into.

I, being the captain of industry I am, responded to him by saying, and I quote

"Son I've got curry oozing out of my bloody pores at the moment!"

Which I felt was true.

The parasitologist and I had quite a lengthy discussion on the matter. She feels that sweat is fundamentally odourless and sent me a few links that would seem to agree with her. Her opinion is that the smell comes more from external factors. So, you walk into an Indian restaurant and can often find your clothes and being end up smelling of the food and spices that get mixed with your general bodily juices.

Or you cook a nice rice and curry meal and the wafting spices, the curry leaves and garlic will blend in with your natural smells to create the odour that is you and I.

Me? I partly agree with Darwin, but also think that the curry smells do come out through the sweat. My belief is that when a chap eats a lot of spicy food some of those spices and flavourings start to ooze out through the pores and mix with the sweat. I don't know the science, you'll have to ask Jennifer Aniston about that, but I'm sure the sweat actually starts to have an odour itself.

There are however, levels of complexity to be added to the simple starting theory. First is the suspicion I have, based on a sample size of roughly zero but also with a lifetime of experience, that odours come through the sweat on men more so than on women. Even I, with my sheltered and naive background, have met a few rough old soap dodging birds in my time. But none of them have ever smelt as bad as a soap dodging bloke.

I reckon it may be the case that mens' sweat is different to womens'. You lot, with the breasts and femininity usually smell of sugar, spice and all things nice, except the spice. Us men invariably reek of engines, soil and curry. That applies even in the case of a good metrosexual like, er me. Maybe it's to do with testosterone, testicles or test matches, I know not.

Also this whole theory about sweat, curry, men and women goes flying out of the window quicker than you can say "flying out of the window" when I go to Sri Lanka. Granted, the smell inside a Sri Lankan bus is unlikely to be used as the inspiration behind the next Jean Paul Gaultier eau de toilette, but the fact is that people in England smell far worse after intensive curry eating than they do in the Motherland.

Maybe it's to do with climate, perhaps it's because we all eat so much rice and curry there that we become immune to the smell in others. I don't know, but ti definitely throws a spanner into my otherwise well researched findings.

So what do you think? The comment box is waiting for your input. Is Darwin right? Am I right or are we both right?

Oh yes, I lied about the blood bit, I've got nothing to say about the stuff, but it is my birthday today.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

As for the curry stuff, it could be that the fumes stick to you skin as you are exposed to curry fumes while eating. Same happens to your cloths. Its sort of like getting contaminated by radioactive stuff. The only solution is to be stripped and hosed down. The cloth will have to do quality time in the washer.

Happy orbital rotation 2009!

Anonymous said...

That would introduce a whole new type of perfume!

The kind you drink before you go to sleep, and wake up smelling of the next day.

Happy Birthday!

Dee said...

HAPPY birthday!

and yes, i do belive on the thoery that you sweat what you eat. I've noticed that a lot of meat eaters tend to smell a little funky. Which is masked obviously abroad, but in SL, with the weather..whooee...

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday !!!

dramaqueen said...

Most of us down in good ol' Serendipity smell of things far worse than curry, hence it being masked off to a great extent, so it's a little difficult to tell.

I don't know which one of you is right, so the next time I see someone stepping out of a 'buth kadey', I am sure as hell going to approach the man and sniff him up, even at the risk of getting myself arrested. Or mugged and raped, as is the Sri lankan way with random women who sniff you.

Await the verdict.

Meanwhile, happy birthday for the third time!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday, drum man.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday RD :)

-Gypsy

Ps - My sister lived with some Australian friends for a while and introduced them to curry for the first time in their lives. When one of the friends when to her home, her parents told her she reeks of garlic!!!!! She was very upset. So there may be something to that curry-sweat-BO theory. Although I prefer not to think about it. Ugh.

Pps - Have a wonderful day :)

Anonymous said...

"but the fact is that people in England smell far worse after intensive curry eating than they do in the Motherland."

Could this be due to you guys using toilet paper instead of water...???
:P

Ahamed Nizar said...

happy birthday!

ViceUnVersa said...

Happy Birthday

Happy New Year

Happy all sorts of good stuff, Happy!

Long Long days ago an American GF mentioned that our spunk tastes different, spicier!

Wait...

Good morning!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday RD! Rock on!

Scrumps said...

Happy Birthday RD!

And I think you do sweat it out! But that said, I've seen many women eat hot curries in their time yet it always seems to be the guys that sweat.... Maybe I just don't know many sweaty women?

Gutterflower said...

Haffy, haffy, haffy birthday!
Hope you have a great year ahead of you..

Sweat is odourless, its the bacteria which brings on the BO.

Certain foods ooze out when you sweat (ex: garlic) only if you eat abnormally large quantities of it.
At least that's what my doctor told me.

Gutterflower said...

Ye gods. Its my uncle's birthday today.






You're not my uncle are you?

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

First thing first; thank you all so much for the birthday wishes. I'm truly touched and feel a little bit girly from it all. That also applies to people who have wished me on Facebook too.

Then, about the sweat thing:

The toilet paper point made by anon may be a factor, though not for a chap who uses moist wipes like myself. I mean a chap like myself, rather than to compare myself with a moist wipe there.

DD- I do remember reading something a while ago about how we could eat different foodstuffs to make our love juice taste better actually. However, I choose to trust you on the info and shan't be fieldtesting the theory.

Gutterflower- Surely sweat can't be odourless by definition if it's true that certain foods ooze out when you eat a lot of them. Either way I reckon I am currenly eating abnormally large quanitites of rice and C and that's just in one meal!

And yes, I am your Uncle, I never knew how to break it to you.

T said...

happy bday RD!

Aamina said...

Yappy Barrthdayeee!!!!
have a great one..

samanalee said...

Happy birthday!!

Jane Doe said...

happy happy birthday rd!!

Anonymous said...

This is not meant to disrespect my Indian friends in any way cause I love them and Indian food. But I'm convinced that this "curry" smell only happens with Indian food and not with SL rice + curry.

I know people who have "special t-shirts" (i.e. rags that they don't mind if it ends up smelling like Indian food afterward) that they wear to Indian restaurants, but I can't say that I know people who have special shirts for SL food... (or maybe it's just cause there aren't that many SL restaurants but still, I'm convinced)

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Birthday RD. Hope you rocked your pants urr.. drums.. yday..

Sabby said...

Happy Belated Birthday!
I can't believe I read that post and didn't catch the birthday statement!
Hope you had a good one =)

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Again, thank you all sincerely for the many birthday wishes, they're heartwarming.

RD