Saturday, November 29, 2008

On Flatulence

I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. - Kurt Vonnegut
We were at the living room. Wifey and I in the sofa, my 3 year old at our feet sitting on the floor, engrossed in watching “Madagascar”, when all of a sudden I let go a barrage of compressed air. At first my daughter turned to me, put her little finger between her lips, motioning me to hush up. A few seconds later, she stand up, points to the door and said “Daddy, STAY OUTSIDE!” I comply amid the hysterical laughter of her mother.

It made me think why people create an issue about a simple fart. Reaction varies. Some cringed as if you just release a deadly neuro-toxin, some are shock as if you just committed an abomination and others laugh if a person performs what is considered a natural bodily function.

The moment you intake food, enzymes in your stomach go to work by breaking it down into tiny pieces, small enough for your intestine to absorb nutrients. One by-product of this process is gas which, if not disposed properly, presents a health hazard, not to mention an uncomfortable feeling (try withholding it and see how it feels). Our body is equipped with safety valve from which to release this pressure. And the only orifice from which it can be freed is through our anus. Other than that, say, if it comes out orally, then it’s time to consult an “internal medicine” specialist.

Everybody farts. Even the Queen of England, whose son once mentioned never ever seen his mother went inside a comfort room, farts. Discharge differs from an explosive “Braaat” to a stealthy “Psssst”. I do admit it sometime poised as a nostril irritant, especially if it was released quietly. You can compare it with an Iranian entering an air-conditioned library and makes other students scamper to safety during my college days.

But why do we disapprove of farting in public? Is it because we are conditioned to believe that anything that comes out of our behind is dirty? But why do we find its smell so obnoxious? When it comes to odor, it’s not far behind the stench when you cook dried fish or eat bagoong or crack open a fresh durian fruit. Besides, we do find some sort of fulfillment when we fart. Whether you admit it or not, you experience a kind of guilty pleasure when you release gas. Similar to peeing, a happy feeling occurs when discharging a full bladder... but that’s another story.

17 comments:

  1. To fart is human. =) What's generally instilled is that this should be discreetly done. Otherwise, it's not sinful as it may seem. I think it depends on one's orientation. Like for some people, they are brought up not to bathe everyday, and other habits that they have that are unhygienic in our eyes. But for them, that's normal.

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  2. [(,"o Timing talagang habang binabasa ko ang post na ito ako'y napapa-fart! Hahahah! Buti nalang ako lang mag-isa rito.]

    Napagsabihan tuloy kayo ng tatlong taong gulang niyong anak.

    Noong April 4, 2008 umattend kami ng birthday party sa Elizabeth, S.A. Aba, habang nag-iinuman sila may isang local resident na biglang nag-fart! Daming tao, pero patay-malisya lang lahat. NASABI TULOY NG ISANG PILIPINONG katabi ko, "kahit puti pala, ganun pa rin ang tunog at accent ng fart! Wala pa ring pagkakaiba sa atin."

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  3. he he. bosing, farting naman kasi is something controllable/manageable, even if it is a natural bodily function. so when one releases bombs indiscriminately, medyo hindi nakakatuwa. so depende lang sa sitwasyon, although normally ako ang unang rekalamador kahit pa ansaya lang ng iba. :-)

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  4. "What's generally instilled is that this should be discreetly done. Otherwise, it's not sinful as it may seem."

    Ms.Jo, naku, iba naman ang sayo. Your equating farting with our catholic upbringing. : D

    RJ, in my observation, Europeans and Chinese don't mind if you fart. But sneezing in front of them without covering your mouth is considered unethical not to mention unhygienic as well.

    R-yo, if somebody farts indiscriminately, his system isn't functioning properly. Baka masyadong acidic. Dapat ng mag patingin sa doctor. : )

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  5. dito lang may farting na di mabaho ahh!

    Anyways, i should add that to Americans, farting is normal, but burping is unethical, especially when you're not covering your mouth.
    (blogus, pa plug-in ha)
    Iniipon ko po mga link at title ng mga pinoy blogs dito sa Saudi at sa Middle East, may project po kasi kami ng mga kaibigan ko na gumawa ng Pinoy Expats Aggregator site. Yun bang pag nagpost ung blogger, it will automatically be seen as the latest with snippets of the content. Pakisabi na lang po sa lahat ng pinoy bloggers based here in the Middle to email it sa

    fugiko333@gmail.com

    Thanks blogus.

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  6. its! farting time..or should i say party time..he he he.:)

    yan din ang problema ko..di ako maka pupo,pag sa ibang bahay,namamahay ako pag dating sa ganyan..lalo na nung time na nasa party ako..ang hirap pinagpapawisan ako ng butlig butlig at kailangan ko na talagang umuwi para lang mailabas ang sama ng loob...

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  7. kenji, magandang ideya yan. Mabuti at may panahon ka pa dyan. Ang dami mo ng "extra curricular activities" ah. : )

    ever, ganyan din ako dati. Pinipigilan ko, pero sabi ng doctor masama daw yan dahil maa-out-of-synch ang sistema ng katawan. Mabuti nalang ang atake sa akin e umaga, bago pumasok ng opisina.

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  8. Beans (although a good source of protein,vitamins and minerals and it has some anti cancer properties) will cause you to fart if you ate too much,Beans are the main dish of many south americans and they do fart a lot,so in the US they call them "beaners" synanimous to farting(bato bato sa langit) he he he..so a bit of an advice if you want to eat beans you should dip them in the water for an hour before cooking it,in that way you will remove a certain chemical that cause you to fart,that chemical dissolve in water so you're safe even if you eat tons of it....

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  9. nung nasa changi airport ako, may tumabing foreigner na caucasian, humilata sa bench na katabi ko at pagkatapos pumwesto ng komportable, aba umutot ng malakas. as in, prororororot! in short, inututan ako. kami pala, kasi kasama ko officemate ko. kadire, sa amin pa tumapat. :(

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  10. I was taught that when you fart, you do it discreetly or outside public premises in order for the obnoxious smell to be apart from the enclosed area where most human are. I was taught that for the reason of good manners, and yes, it is but human to fart, many people react so violently to this, I guess the feeling of farting is happiness but it's the way you were taught to behave about things that also matter to others. Happy week to you!

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  11. hahaha... kala ko pa talaga seryoso ang post na to. medyo unique nga tong topic mo ngayon. natutuwa ako sa anak mo. parang si hitler kang pinalabas. hehehe...

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  12. This reminds me of an article about the Swedish furniture giant, Ikea, which caused quite a hubbub for naming a children's desk 'Fartful', which is actually Swedish for 'speedy' :D

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  13. ed v., so that's it. I knew now the culprit. I've been eating this salted dried green peas as tv snack kasi. : D

    Mari, nananadya ata. Probable one of those "backpackers" going from one asian country to another.

    sheng, I like you. You're so lady-like. Adhering always to ethical standard and proper decorum.

    donG, hahaha. Nag mana ata sa nanay. Diktador din kung mag-utos.

    Mimi, parang palang kotseng "Nova" ano. Hindi mabinta sa Mexico dahil ang ibig sabihin sa spanish e "no go". Language can be confusing sometimes if you encounter the same spelling yet different meaning.

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  14. Farting is such a sweet sorrow. Sorrowful sa mga makakaamoy. Hehe.

    Umuutot ako ng malakas kapag familiar ako sa mga taong kasama ko. Like when I'm with my close friends or my nieces or my mother. Pero in public, I control it as much as possible. Or if I can't, talagang dahan-dahan sya, unti-unti, parang series, walang tunog hanggang aaahhh....tapos.

    Edgar, beans pala ang dahilan. Akala ko kamote.

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  15. Nebz, hahaha, nadamay pa si Romeo at Juliet. Ako din, basta I'm with family, bigay todo. Pero in public, discreet din ako, kunyari! : )

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  16. perhaps once upon a time, when man wasn't so hypocritical, farting was considered akin to sneezing, something you can't control hehe :) Nowadays is a bit of a drag esp if you're in a crowded elevator and thoughts of farting comes into your mind :)

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  17. bw, sometime it made me think, which "standard" and whose "norm" do we have to follow. As the saying goes "A man's food is another man's poison".

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