I don't wanna seem like a racist. I'm the type of person who seeks answers to questions that I dont know answers to. I work with and have a lot of clients that are Indian(Punjabi) "most" of them smell similar. Can this be explained or am I just trippin'?
2007-01-09 21:09:58 · 14 answers · asked by o_jaysmith 1 in Health ➔ Other - Health
You're not trippin, I live in an area with lots of Indian people. I work in a grocery store where most of them shop. In the Indian cuisine, they use most of the foods that are known to have strong odors. Lots of onions, garlic, curry, cumin, ginger, etc. These and many other "strong odor" producing foods are used heavily in the foods they eat and leave the odor even in their home. When I walk into an Indian persons home, even when nothin's cooking, you can smell it.
*One time I dropped my car off at a mechanic and walked to work passed a very small apartment complex of maybe 8 apts, and I could smell it all the way to where I walked on the sidewalk.
*When my best friend moved into her apartment 4 or 5 years ago, it took her months to get that smell out.
so...your not tripping, that odor is real.
2007-01-10 02:07:52 · answer #1 · answered by half sam, half amazing 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with what another poster says: People of all ethnicities can smell bad. But I understand your concerns, I lived in India for two years and had the same issue. I was told - by Indians - that there are two reasons: The Masalla powder in the curry can make the human sweat smell in a very specific way. Plus some parts of India have traditional bad water shortage and therefore the personal hygiene is not always the same like in other countries.
2007-01-09 21:21:13 · answer #2 · answered by Sinka 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Culturally, they don't try to eliminate body odor like Americans do. They're used to the smell, probably don't even notice it. You have three options in this case -
a) take the chance that you'll offend them and mention it.
b) take the chance that you'll offend them and give them a bar of deodorant.
c) bear with it and smile.
You should try to describe what they smell like. Most people have the same natural stinky human smell, but I suppose their odor could be caused by the food they eat, like what other people have said. But I'm friends with an American woman who married and Indian and moved to India, and she's never mentioned them smelling like curry.
2007-01-09 21:15:09 · answer #3 · answered by Bishop 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Most people have a genetically determined "scent," which you may not notice in nationalities you commonly interact with. The longer and more often you are around the indians, the less noticable the scent will be.
2007-01-09 21:14:25 · answer #4 · answered by Shanana 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's usually from the food they cook. They use certain spices, and the odor goes right into their clothes, hair etc.
2007-01-09 21:17:08 · answer #5 · answered by Cat Lover 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you might be smelling the oils that secrete from the skin. I think these are caused by the food that is taken in.
2007-01-09 21:13:41 · answer #6 · answered by been_there_done_that 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hey, ive thought the same thing at work with some work mates
is it the curried food?
i mean, do they cook it in the morning and it sticks to their clothing?
2007-01-09 21:13:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you eat lots of spicy foods like curry the odour comes through your pores
2007-01-09 21:13:29 · answer #8 · answered by burrowthroughanelephant 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think its all the spicy food that they eat. I think what you eat is very closely related to your body odor.
2007-01-09 21:13:24 · answer #9 · answered by Wiseguy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it is there food. the gas station by my house is owende by indians and everytime I go in there it smell real funky like.
2007-01-09 21:13:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋