How can i find out how strong my stomach is? Able to resist vomiting

  • Thread starter Thread starter questionboy
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Stomach
AI Thread Summary
A group visiting a lakehouse faced a situation where their power was turned off, leading to a freezer full of rotten meat. While one person struggled with the smell, another managed to dispose of the meat without feeling sick, highlighting individual differences in sensitivity to odors and gag reflexes. The discussion delved into how some people can tolerate strong smells due to their experiences in smelly jobs, while others have a low tolerance. Personal anecdotes were shared about working in unpleasant environments, with some individuals recalling their ability to handle foul odors and even clean up after messy situations without becoming nauseated. The conversation also touched on the historical context of food consumption, suggesting that early humans may have cooked meat not primarily for safety but to improve its tenderness and palatability. Overall, the thread explored the varying reactions to unpleasant smells and the evolution of cooking practices in relation to food safety and taste.
questionboy
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Me and some other people went to out lakehouse. Someone turned off our power and there was a freezer full of rotten meat. One of my companions has a weak stomach and could not go near it. But I was able to walk up to the freezer and toss out all the rotten meat without getting sick.

Is there a ph test i can take?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Well no, pH is a measure of acidity-alkalinity of a solution.

Some people are sensitive to smells, and have a strong gag reflex. Apparently you aren't one of those people.
 
It really has nothing to do with your stomach, and much more to do with your sense of smell and how tolerant you are of stronger smells.

I've spent at least the past 15 years in smelly jobs, and none of it ever really bothers me at all. Other people can't even stand being near ME after I've been working one of those jobs and some of the odor is clinging to me. Thankfully, before my boyfriend gave up being an engineer for a more lucrative field, he worked at a sewage treatment plant, so isn't one of those people bothered if I come home from work smelling bad.
 
One should go with their strengths.

lisab said:
Some people are sensitive to smells, and have a strong gag reflex. Apparently you aren't one of those people.

I can think of at least one career in which you would be outstanding.
 
What about people who swallow heaps of garlic tablets for health. Is that a gag reflex thing
 
I have trouble with fumes. If I walk through the gardening section of the store with potting mix I can't breathe as good.
 
Some people are susceptible to sounds.

When my kids were little, I could handle the smell and cleaning up the mess. Actually standing with them in the bathroom while they puked in the toilet was almost more than I could bear. I'd have to catch a break and get out of there for a few seconds so I wouldn't wind up puking right beside them. And I don't have to be in the same room. Just listening to someone puke just about sends me over the edge.
 
Wouldn't the real test of the OP's stomach be eating the rotten meat?
 
A former co-worker used to work mucking out chicken-houses. The local Dunkin'Donuts shop did not have a drive through, so he stopped into pick up donuts and coffee and went inside. The manager asked him to come back outside, and told him that all he had to do in the future was to drive into the lot and honk his horn. An employee would come right out, take his order and his money, and bring back the order and his change. Having worked with fresh and lightly rotted chicken manure in the past, I can understand why he got free curb service.
 
  • #10
turbo-1 said:
A former co-worker used to work mucking out chicken-houses. The local Dunkin'Donuts shop did not have a drive through, so he stopped into pick up donuts and coffee and went inside. The manager asked him to come back outside, and told him that all he had to do in the future was to drive into the lot and honk his horn. An employee would come right out, take his order and his money, and bring back the order and his change. Having worked with fresh and lightly rotted chicken manure in the past, I can understand why he got free curb service.

:smile: Reminds me of when I worked with goats. We were in the middle of an experiment, filthy, and stinking like male goats. It was snowing, so we headed to a nearby diner for breakfast (yeah, this is when my experiments started well before dawn, and it was breakfast breaks, not dinner breaks). The other student working with me and I got an entire section of the diner to ourselves. :biggrin: Normally we'd have gone to a drive-thru, or home, but the diner was closer and we didn't want to travel far in snow.
 
  • #11
Ten or so years ago, my boss at the park and I were cleaning up after the "Mad Shi++er." He told me that he was able to clean the toilet (walls, floor) by not inhaling near the mess.

I have not thrown up for two or three years. I believe my medicine Zyprexa enables this (and also causes weight gain and may be prescribed for anorexics).
 
  • #12
Sometimes the smell triggers a memory. You may not have the same reaction next time.
 
  • #13
physics girl phd said:
Wouldn't the real test of the OP's stomach be eating the rotten meat?

:eek:Please tell everyone you are joking.:smile:
 
  • #14
WhoWee said:
:eek:Please tell everyone you are joking.:smile:
I can assure you that in time of need people have eaten stuff that was not even remotely "fresh". Cooking meats may have developed when people came across large amounts of carrion and wanted to make the meat at least a bit more palatable and digestible. Lots of migrating animals die in migrations, and our ancestors on the African plains may not have been fearless, efficient hunters when food was on the run. They may instead have fought off hyenas, jackals, etc for carrion.

Our "past" may be romanticized, inaccurate, and incomplete.
 
  • #15
turbo-1 said:
I can assure you that in time of need people have eaten stuff that was not even remotely "fresh". Cooking meats may have developed when people came across large amounts of carrion and wanted to make the meat at least a bit more palatable and digestible. Lots of migrating animals die in migrations, and our ancestors on the African plains may not have been fearless, efficient hunters when food was on the run. They may instead have fought off hyenas, jackals, etc for carrion.

Our "past" may be romanticized, inaccurate, and incomplete.

I took this up with my sister a ways back. She said we did not cook meat to kill contaminants (we'd been eating raw meat for aeons). She said we started to cook meat to break down its toughness.

Contaminated meat that is inedible >> cooked, noncontaminated meat
- is a bigger leap than -
Tough (yet still edible) meat >> cooked, more tender meat
 
  • #16
I doubt that people in neolithic societies had developed any sense for contamination (as in "we've got to cook it to kill pathogens"). I speculated that cooking might have made spoiled meat more palatable. Cooking to improve tenderness was probably the prime reason for cooking.
 
  • #17
turbo-1 said:
I can assure you that in time of need people have eaten stuff that was not even remotely "fresh".
Like when I was a starving undergrad... I distinctly recall consuming some lasagna that had become a bit green and slimy.

(note: I am past those days. Phew.)
 
  • #18
physics girl phd said:
Like when I was a starving undergrad... I distinctly recall consuming some lasagna that had become a bit green and slimy.

(note: I am past those days. Phew.)

You have your ancestors to thank for that too. On the Serengeti plain, refrigeration was very hard to come by. Only the strongest and fittest tribes were able to acquire fresh lasagna. Most was consumed when green and slimy - after several days of waiting for the big cats and hyenas to get their fill.
 
  • #19
DaveC426913 said:
I took this up with my sister a ways back. She said we did not cook meat to kill contaminants (we'd been eating raw meat for aeons).

My uncle owned a meat plant when I was young. On many occasions, I watched people grab handfuls of fresh ground beef and eat it raw (or with a little salt and pepper), others ate raw pork sausage just prior to stuffing. They claimed all sorts of reasons - none had enough merit to recall.
 
Back
Top