Smell is the most honest language in the world and also the most easily misunderstood.

Traditional Chinese medicine says smell reveals the body’s condition. Modern medicine says smell is a chemical reaction caused by bacteria.

And I say: smell is our body’s group chat history. We think it’s just skin. But really, it’s bacteria throwing a party. Some are drinking. Some are fighting. Some are busy producing poop-smell. And a rare few in a good mood release a fruity note (these are rare Pokémon).

The so-called “old people smell”? Many assume it’s just age-related stink. Nonsense! It’s usually a mix of infrequent bathing, oxidized oils, and internal systems that don’t seal quite as tightly anymore.

The body becomes like an old house, air slips through the cracks, and so does the smell.

Smell is a report on how well things are sealed:

• Poor external sealing = sweat odor

• Poor internal sealing = organ odor

• Poor intestinal sealing = full-system meltdown
  (you know exactly what I mean)

Everyone eats meat so why does everyone smell different? Because our body odor is the final voting result of every microbe living on ourselves.

Some people host fruit-scented bacteria. Some host barbecue-scented ones. And some… well… feel more like biochemical weapons.

Perfume is even more interesting. Scents aren’t “high-end” or “low-end.” There’s only “I like it” and “I refuse.”

Refusal isn’t a taste issue. It’s a genetic protest: “This smell does not belong to my tribe.”

We never see a horse wearing perfume. And we never see a horse crying because the stable smells bad.

Smell is animals’ Wi-Fi. The most primitive form of attraction. The only way humans complicated it was by covering natural odor with artificial fragrance, then getting headaches from their own scent and refusing to admit it.

Smell is confusing! Because it seems like the body speaking, when in fact it’s the body, bacteria, organs, genes, and emotions all holding a meeting at the same time.

What we’re smelling isn’t just a scent, it’s the agenda of our entire life system.



—— XC Scribbles · 參拾捌 XXXVIII 🌫️