[HPforGrownups] Re: It Smells like Cabbage! ....YIKES!

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42955

In a message dated 20/08/2002 18:28:53 GMT Standard Time, bboy_mn at yahoo.com 
writes:

> 
> My point was not that ALL old English people smell like cabage. It was
> that all (within reasonable boundaries) old peoples homes smell. 

OK, now we're down simply to an ageist point, rather than an ageist/racist 
one.
(J/K!)
Yes, the sense of smell is dulled with age (or so I'm told). I do understand 
your point, really, it was just a little unfortunately expressed. 
Well, we all do that from time to time! ;-)

> 
> Let's look at the evidence-
> Evidence for Mrs. Figg being involved in some grand polyjuice
> conspiracy = ??????? wild, but fun, speculation


Aah yes...But you see, some of us specialise in that, at least for part of 
the time (the part of the time when we're not saying, 'don't be so 
ridiculous, that could never happen!')
And it's not conspiracy, because it's part of Dumbledore's plan. It's one of 
those irregular verbs. You know, 

I plan,
You scheme,
They are involved in grand conspiracies...

As for the speculation being wild........You think *that's* wild?........
> 
> Evidence that Mrs. Figg is just an old English lady, who, it has
> become  known, is also a witch, an OLD witch.
> 
> Figg= old, English, similar older style of home furnishings, house
> smells like cabbage and cats.
> 
> Perkins= old, English, similar older style of home furnishings,
> house/tent smells like cabbage and cats.

Err, no. Actually, Perkins' tent smells strongly of cats, but *not* IIRC of 
cabbage.


> 
> Very old people have different tastes in food, so it is more likely
> that someone in their 70's would eat cooked cabbage than someone in
> their 20's. 

Hey! My kids *love* cabbage! It's *good* for you!
(But my home doesn't smell of it!)

Also, note that people with common ethnic or national> 
> heritage, are more likely to eat similar foods. In my grandmother's
> house, you were more likely to find lutefisk than gefilte fish.

Agreed. But cabbage is hardly a national dish.
Now our stereotype (and it's a sterotype, therefore unfair, before anyone 
yells at me) is that it's the Germans who eat cabbage)

> 
> Also, young people don't smell that much. Prepubesent kids hardly
> smell at all. They can go for days without a shower and while dirty,
> they really don't smell. 

Questionable. Depends on the age and which end you smell, in my experience. 
;-)
But then mothers have slightly more intimate contact with their offspring.
But yes, I know what you mean.

The fact is, that the older you get the more> 
> you smell, and the more you develope a very unique smell. This is
> problably also related to why a kid is more likely to notice that an
> old person's house smells than an adult.


I quite agree that older people don't notice smells that we would probably 
try to eliminate and that they do have different eating habits, use different 
products, etc. I'm surprised we've never had a mention of moth-balls, though, 
in this context! (A really stereotypical older person's house smell.)
But really, I know quite a few older people who don't smell as far as I'm 
concerned!
Maybe I'm too old to notice!

> 
> In summary, sometimes the most obvious explaination is the right one.

Oh, it is. But try convincing this list!
Confidentially, I think whoever made the point that the cabbage smells might 
simply be part of JKR's slightly restricted descriptive vocabulary might well 
be right.
But hey, Polyjuiced Arabella is far more interesting. And in any case, it'll 
be proved right or wrong eventually.

How about another obvious explanation? Arabella Figg isn't even a witch, but 
is a little old lady who is nevertheless part of Dumbledore's network, 
providing inside Muggle information and keeping an eye on Harry for him. That 
would explain why the abuse Harry suffers at home goes unchecked, as Arabella 
wouldn't be able to see what went on in the home.

Eloise
Now deeply conflicted as she doesn't know whether to be Bangy or Boring.







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