FamiLee Life

The Good and Bad of Things that Stink

As I've mentioned in past entries, I like to check out new, random facts on the Wikipedia website and came across this fascinating bit of WWII history. Now, I am not a big war history fan, but this one was too bizarre to pass up. It is called the Who Me? and it refers to a nonlethal weapon that was designed by the American military to be used by the French resistance fighters against the Germans. In technical terms, the Who Me? is a malodorant. In lay terms, it is an odor that smells like crap! No kidding. I wonder which military personnel came up with this idea. It is truly brilliant. Unfortunately, the military had to give up on this idea because the smell also got on the sprayer. In other words, he who smelt it dealt it.

Now, it just so happens that stinky smells also are studied by psychologists. In a 2002 article from the American Scientist (titled Science that Stinks), an experimental psychologist (Pam Dalton) has been working with the Dept of Defense on new stinky nonlethal weapons. Her research has confirmed that the most universal worst smell is that of decaying flesh or organic matter. Another interesting findings from this research is that the brain can trick us into finding something stinky as less stinky.

Her research suggests that odor perception is surprisingly context-dependent. Butyric acid, a common ingredient in vomit and foot sweat, for example, evokes an unpleasant reaction from volunteers—unless they "have been clued to think about food," Dalton says. Butyric acid is also present in certain strong cheeses, and when volunteers developed expectations of food, they typically found the odor more bearable, she says. [excerpt from American Scientist article].

Now I know why people can tolerate really stinky cheeses and even come to love the smell and taste! It also explains why some things are viewed as stinky in some cultures, but not in other cultures. It turns out that smell (specifically, what is considered malodorous) is largely learned.

"There's no evidence that babies from birth naturally prefer one smell over another," Dalton notes, "although they do prefer certain tastes." In the past, marketers had looked into which good odors crossed cultures, and discovered that the smell that signifies "clean" in South America was not the same as a "clean" smell in Asia. [excerpt from SFGate article]

This stinky smell phenomenon also gets me thinking of ethnic cuisines and, in particular, it reminds me of growing up. My grandmother and mother used to make their own Korean condiments because there was no Korean grocery store where you could easily buy such things. Well, actually, my parents owned the Korean grocery store, so we had to make the condiments that we then sold! Anyway, one of these condiments was a soybean paste (in Korean, it is called doen-jang [or dwen-jahng]).

To make this paste, you had to create these patties made from dried soybean powder and then ferment them. To facilitate the fermentation, my grandmother would lay these patties down on the porch and driveway to heat up in the summer sun. Okay, so imagine literally hundreds of these patties (see above photo) in the driveway of a typical Connecticut suburban neighborhood. They literally looked like pieces of dung (aka crap). And, as they fermented, they would crack open and release gas that also did smell like dung! After they were properly fermented, the patties would be mashed up, mixed up, and made into soybean paste! This paste is used in many Korean soups and dishes and does not smell as bad anymore. In fact, following the context-dependent nature of smell, it smells and tastes quite yummy (tho' I am sure it is an acquired taste).

Supposedly, soybean paste has medicinal powers as well. Once, my mother told a story of my oldest brother getting stung really bad by a nest of bees when he was little. They had just moved to America, so my mother and brother spoke no English and had no access to a car. It was pretty bad, I guess, as his face was completely swollen. In a panic, my mother recalled that soybean paste could be used to reduce swelling, so she slathered my brother's face in this stinky soybean paste. Poor kid. Can you picture an immigrant kid covered with what looks like dung! Amazingly, the bee swelling did subside by the time the ambulance arrived. I am not sure what medicinal quality is found in soybeans but perhaps it is akin to applying potato juice on burns (which scientists have discovered to work effectively).

Ah, so the beauty of things that stink. On the one hand, it can be used as a weapon. On the other hand, it can be used to heal. The mysteries of God's creations.

Posted by richlee at December 2, 2005 12:07 AM