Monday, March 26, 2007

The More You Know: What's that smell?

The next time you're in Houston and you smell something terrible, it might be a dude roasting his ex-girlfriend on his balcony.

But just to be sure, here's a primer from The Slate on what to look smell for
Burning muscle tissue gives off an aroma similar to beef in a frying pan, and body fat smells like a side of fatty pork on the grill. But you probably won't mistake the scent of human remains for a cookout. That's because a whole body includes all sorts of parts that we'd rarely use for a regular barbecue. For example, cattle are bled after slaughter, and the beef and pork we eat contain few blood vessels. When a whole human body burns, all the iron-rich blood still inside can give the smell a coppery, metallic component. Full bodies also include internal organs, which rarely burn completely because of their high fluid content; they smell like burnt liver. Firefighters say that cerebrospinal fluid burns up in a musky, sweet perfume.
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2 comments:

  1. And now, I do believe, I know everything.

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  2. we were talkin bout this at work.
    being the only deer hunter within the shop, i had to explain for them that there really isnt as much blood as you think if he drained her in the tub for a few minutes.
    and no, a saw wasnt necessary to cut through the joints to quarter her out. a sturdy knife would do it.

    i think the high smoke/flame level was due to human beings being much fattier than wild game.
    although, i highly doubt he pulled off a proper field dressing before hand.
    but the prcedure wouldnt be any different if he did.

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