Do I smell like curry?

The answer depends on your intent and appetite ;-) !

Photo by on

If you found it funny, then it’s a joke. If you found it offensive, then it’s probably true. And the thin line between an offensive joke and pure offense is called “intent”!

— Some wise man on the internet

The other day, my friend Sameer asked, “Bro, do I smell like food?”. At first, I didn’t quite understand the question and asked if he meant whether I smelled food around me.

We were on a U-Bahn (underground city train in Munich), and it was likely that some fellow passenger was carrying his midnight snack from one of those late-night Döner (Kebab) takeaway shops in the city.

But no, I heard him right the very first time. He was indeed inquiring whether his body odor resembled that of the delicious chicken curry he had cooked in his tiny (and poorly ventilated) apartment that evening.

At first, I almost burst out in laughter. But I immediately held myself back. It was a valid question to ask! After all, we were two brown-skinned buggers heading to a salsa party, and neither of us would have liked to be embarrassed while feeding the already existing…