Tuesday 21 January 2014

Reeking.

I learned something interesting today when I searched ‘ethnic groups in China.’

Apparently, Mongolian people have the lowest concentration of sweat glands. That’s why they find the rest of us obnoxious: to a Mongolian nose, we smell bad. In that case, I don’t think I’ll go there.

Mind you, I don't sweat much anyway. It has to get pretty hot or pretty hectic to make me damp. It probably has something to do with testosterone, since Mongolian men are a bit deficient in that department, too. I think I should get a yurt.

4 comments:

Madeline said...

When the American Indians first encountered the English, they thought we stank too. They also found the English to be disgustingly hairy and ugly.

The Anglo-Saxons were probably pretty stinky too. Perhaps we should have a new slogan: "English People: Stinking up the world (and taking your land) since the 5th century."

JJ said...

As I understand it, American Indians are the same racial sub-group as Mongols through a common heritage, so the Indians would probably have found any invader stinky. I approve of the slogan, though.

Some heritage we have, isn't it? It's also fascinating to see how it evolved over one and half millennia from the coarse Germanic invaders to the prissy overtones of cricket and the Empire.

Back to the Mongols and their lower testosterone. Do you think there might be a correlation between low testosterone and greater wisdom?

Madeline said...

Perhaps in a way. Lower testosterone might lead to less sex and fighting, and thus more time for contemplation. Also, testosterone decreases one's life span.

JJ said...

This leads me onto King Alfred, a great warrior but also a great thinker. I only discovered last night that after he'd defeated the Danes, he set about reorganising London, and the piles he had driven into the Thames embankment for the jetties are still there. All the times I've been to London, and I never saw them.