You're missing the point Mars, and your argument is uncharacteristically sloppy today.  

You can't notice the smell of a person who has dairy in his diet, because you're regularly exposed to the demographic you describe.  
NOR CAN I for exactly the same reason.  

The point is that the healthy non-smoker you described CAN AND DOES have a distinctive odour which WE DO NOT NOTICE.  But it's still there, just as the oxygen we breathe is still there regardless of whether we notice it or not.  Differences in odour become more noticeable as the underlying difference in our diet and personal care becomes greater.  

Ergo the point is that a healthy person who bathes regularly and has a latte and a yogurt every morning can and will have a noticeable odour TO SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT AND WHO RARELY MEETS PEOPLE WHO DO.  

Yes this is a fairly esoteric factor that most people won't notice or be affected by.  I mentioned it in response to your comment about perpetuating the myth about stinky foreigners.  

My point is that it should not be unexpected to find that a foreigner smells different to what we're used to, nor should we feel affronted if a foreigner finds our smell unusual.  My view is it's better to be prepared for a difference that is reasonable to expect (regardless of whether your nose is sensitive enough to pick it up or not) than to believe that foreigners should smell the same as our mates do.  

I feel it's preferable to say "yes, foreigners can be stinky, and to a foreigner I probably am stinky" than to say it's a myth.  

As it happens, smell and people's response to it is something that 64.55% of us on this forum should be paying very close attention to ...

Of course it's still there, that's why a bloodhound can track people, but how is it relevant to us? This discussion of body odor is taking place within the context of the myth of the 'stinky foreigner' - it's a far cry from each of us having a distinctive odor, to the assertion that gaijin, as a class of people, smell unpleasant to Asians.

[ Last edited by  Marsupial at 8-1-2010 16:48 ]

My experience agrees with DArtagnan and, I think, maybe you have a very insensitive nose. I often notice different smells on different people that I don't think are due to personal hygiene. They just smell different. If I'm around them for a while, I won't notice it anymore.

This is ESPECIALLY true when visiting a foreign country. People in another counrty ALL smell different and it's immediately noticable. After a while I don't notice it in general and just start to notice some who are different, as I say in the first para.

Mars, can you recognise the different smells of different flowers? Maybe you have a nasal problem.  

Ya of course I can recognize the odors of different flowers, and I'm very aware of reeking perfumes and the odors of different cosmetics, but I do not believe that you guys are walking around HK noticing the different odors of the various races/nationalities you encounter. So how does it go?: this one smells English, that one French, and this one is from the States, probably northern California, and that guy is definitely from Sicily.

If you do notice the odor of someone, how do you know it's racial and not some individual problem?

[ Last edited by  Marsupial at 10-1-2010 12:00 ]

you don't.  Unless you're a bloodhound trained in recognising odours like a wine-taster can recognise a vintage ...

and no, I don't especially notice smells on the street in Hong Kong precisely because this is where I live and I'm thoroughly acclimatised to the smells I encounter here.  It's not foreign to me.  

There IS research that shows people who themselves are not exposed to a dairy diet do notice a difference in the smell of people (foreigners or otherwise) who do ... and Japanese (in particular) are one culture whose native diet does not include dairy products ...

All I'm saying is it's neither a myth nor should we try to discourage the perception that differences in smell exist and can bother people, and that those differences are most likely to have an impact with people from cultures that are very different.

One, the Japanese people now eat a lot of dairy products. (btw, you never answered my question about whether or not you have spent much time in Japan. I bring this up because your argument strikes me as being very theoretical.)

Two, I have never stated that people do not have detectable, rather than noticeable, odors; but the myth, and it is a myth, of the stinky foreigner isn't about some subtle, barely detectable difference that results from a diet rich in dairy products. The myth states that foreigners stink; just as some white people think all black people reek.

You're right and I apologise

I have lived and worked in Japan but less than you have, and your experience with Japanese girls is waaay deeper than my own   Your authority there is unrivalled

Further, if you're saying the myth states all foreigners are stinky, I totally agree it must be busted!    Indeed not all foreigners are stinky to each other.  

... but busting a myth must not create a new myth, not even one that says foreigners are NOT stinky!!

Fortunately in NZ the going rate for Japanese, Korean , Europeans is the same
Thais are a bit cheaper but the quality is generally lower.

A word of comfort for the potential traveler: anyone confused by this thread and worried that filling the air with a foul stench is your racial destiny, all you need do is eat a well-balanced diet, stay healthy, bathe regularly, and Asian or Western, no one will notice what you smell like.

But note that the dogs will still be able to track you.

(My apologies to JeSun that his thread has been hijacked by this silly body odor thing.)

[ Last edited by  Marsupial at 9-1-2010 16:29 ]

HOw about a very well balanced Indian diet - which it actually is for the most part (except for too much grease/sugar in some of the dishes).

Care to comment?

SEAJ

Yes, we should all try to eat more turmeric - it seems to have very marked anti-inflammatory properties. Some think the very low rate of Alzheimer's among the Indians is due to presence of turmeric in many of their dishes.

Kudos..........  for very neatly side-stepping!!  LOL!

IMHO - Our usual diet affects the way we smell - no matter how clean/hygienic/many baths per day one takes.

Remember, we all harbor germs that live full time in/on our bodies even when we bathe daily.
Nobody is germ free.

SEAJ

We live in a sea of germs. The air is saturated with the little buggers, every surface coated with bacteria; so according to your logic, everything should stink.

Body odour is a result of an accumulation of germs

SEAJ

Then don't let them accumulate, bathe.

Precisely what I was saying!

Even if you bathe thoroughly, there is no way to get rid of ALL the germs, and thus the distinctive odour of each individual.  

SEAJ

Bro, are you saying that you have an odor problem and nothing seems to help?!  I'd like to do the comraderly thing here and say I know what you mean, but I don't. Soap works wonders for me. Maybe you should see a doctor.

Exceptin' for extreme situations, anybody EVER really know when they themselves stink?

It usually takes somebody else to tell you.  

OTH - I HAVE come across gals who no matter what they do or how much they bathe and soap down, they still stink. (more so with PRC gals actually)

I discussed this with a dermatologist friend of mine (Yes - I DO have some friends!!) and his prescription is Rubbing alcohol applied twice a day after showers to the genital and arm pit area.  Followed by just shop bought deodorant and/or baby powder.

And NO, its NOT a matter of being hirsute or bald or...? - germs just live in those areas and needs alcohol to get rid of the odor.  Max. two weeks treatment - otherwise DO go and see a doctor as professional intervention is probably then warranted.

SEAJ

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 10-1-2010 01:00 ]

Exactly, it takes somebody to tell you. And if you've had a long and loving relationship with a woman - not to mention, scores of women of various nationalities - you're going to be told if you stink. But then you wouldn't have had scores of girlfriends if you stunk. So yes, I know that I don't have an odor problem.

Mars,
You're a DATY lover.  In your experience, does diet ever effect the odor of a girls punytang?  This is no joke, I think I've smelled garlic there before and it kind of grossed me out but made me hungry at the same time.  Very weird and not good when you're in the middle of sex.