Who Cut the Cheese?: A Cultural History of the Fart
3 journalers for this copy...
Who knew? When I first saw this book at a library sale, I thought it must be total fiction. I had no idea that farts were always a source of fun throughout history. In fact, reading the first couple of chapters I sat near the computer to fact check.
Clearly this book isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
I first heard the expression “cut the cheese” as a teenager – from a 3-year-old I was babysitting. He would ask, “who cut the cheese?” (even though no one had at that moment) and go into gales of his contagious laughter. Soon his older brother and I would be laughing uncontrollably. He was a little clown, and I’ll always associate this expression with him.
And then there’s George Carlin’s routine from the 70’s which began, “Farts are fun. Kids love farts. Farts are funny as hell.”
In high school, my friend Nancy always called those packaged cheese curls “cheese farts” because once she opened a bag that smelled just like that. I adopted the expression and it became so natural that I always had to stop and think about the real name when in more adult company. (Of course you may wonder how often one has occasion to talk about cheese curls in the first place – you’d be surprised!) [smile!]
Those are my personal experiences with the subject – now to the book:
My favorite part was the discussion of “Le Petomane”, one Joseph Pujol who for years had a show at Paris’s Moulin Rouge with his variety of farts that could imitate almost any sound. Then there’s Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Ben Franklin, who all included references to flatulence.
There are sidebars with jokes (most pretty lame), and interesting factoids. A survey of all the gag items like whoopee cushions that can be purchased in joke shops. Religious and Musical farts. It’s all here.
From setting them on fire to holding them in, there’s plenty of info on farts in this comprehensive study. [grin] Some parts are quite disgusting (you can skim over these), but in general it’s a fun read.
Amazon:
...Now, we dare to ask the eternal question...WHO CUT THE CHEESE? Which is to say, what exactly is a fart? Why do we do it? Why do we hide it when we do it? And why do we find farts so darn funny? A cut above anything else on the subject, this book really lets go and tells all, getting to the bottom of these mysteries. Author Jim sniffs out a load of historical and scientific fart tales, then offers the kind of fun facts you'll be dying to let slip at social occasions, in chapters like "Fart Facts That Aren't Just Hot Air," "Gone with the Wind" (on famous movie farts), and "Le Petomane & the Art of the Fart" (on the most famous windbag in history). From fact to fiction to frivolous flatulence, this book is unquestionably a ripping good read.
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Adding to 6of8's Biographies of Things bookbox.
Clearly this book isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
I first heard the expression “cut the cheese” as a teenager – from a 3-year-old I was babysitting. He would ask, “who cut the cheese?” (even though no one had at that moment) and go into gales of his contagious laughter. Soon his older brother and I would be laughing uncontrollably. He was a little clown, and I’ll always associate this expression with him.
And then there’s George Carlin’s routine from the 70’s which began, “Farts are fun. Kids love farts. Farts are funny as hell.”
In high school, my friend Nancy always called those packaged cheese curls “cheese farts” because once she opened a bag that smelled just like that. I adopted the expression and it became so natural that I always had to stop and think about the real name when in more adult company. (Of course you may wonder how often one has occasion to talk about cheese curls in the first place – you’d be surprised!) [smile!]
Those are my personal experiences with the subject – now to the book:
My favorite part was the discussion of “Le Petomane”, one Joseph Pujol who for years had a show at Paris’s Moulin Rouge with his variety of farts that could imitate almost any sound. Then there’s Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Ben Franklin, who all included references to flatulence.
There are sidebars with jokes (most pretty lame), and interesting factoids. A survey of all the gag items like whoopee cushions that can be purchased in joke shops. Religious and Musical farts. It’s all here.
From setting them on fire to holding them in, there’s plenty of info on farts in this comprehensive study. [grin] Some parts are quite disgusting (you can skim over these), but in general it’s a fun read.
Amazon:
...Now, we dare to ask the eternal question...WHO CUT THE CHEESE? Which is to say, what exactly is a fart? Why do we do it? Why do we hide it when we do it? And why do we find farts so darn funny? A cut above anything else on the subject, this book really lets go and tells all, getting to the bottom of these mysteries. Author Jim sniffs out a load of historical and scientific fart tales, then offers the kind of fun facts you'll be dying to let slip at social occasions, in chapters like "Fart Facts That Aren't Just Hot Air," "Gone with the Wind" (on famous movie farts), and "Le Petomane & the Art of the Fart" (on the most famous windbag in history). From fact to fiction to frivolous flatulence, this book is unquestionably a ripping good read.
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Adding to 6of8's Biographies of Things bookbox.
Traveling in 6of8's Biographies of Things bookbox.
I couldn't resist looking into this one! It turned out to be a very quick read, so I'm putting it back in the box for others to enjoy.
I'd read some of the classic fart-related quotes before, and had heard of Le Petomane (whose name Mel Brooks appropriated for a character in his hilarious film Blazing Saddles, which is itself cited here both for its clever fart-implying title and for its infamous beans-around-the-campfire fart-sequence. (As this book notes, the televised version of the film has been bowdlerized to removed the fart-sounds - and/or to edit that scene considerably - but I was pleased to see that on some cable channels it's aired - pardon the expression - in its entirety.)
The chemical components of farts, the invention of Beano (which, I find, works pretty well in minimizing, if not completely eliminating, the gassy results of indulging in beans, cabbage, or Jerusalem artichokes - and that's my commercial endorsement for the day), extracts from Mark Twain's randy 1601 (which I actually had a copy of many years ago)... oh, and the section on fart-themed songs, just the thing for long bus trips!
I'd read some of the classic fart-related quotes before, and had heard of Le Petomane (whose name Mel Brooks appropriated for a character in his hilarious film Blazing Saddles, which is itself cited here both for its clever fart-implying title and for its infamous beans-around-the-campfire fart-sequence. (As this book notes, the televised version of the film has been bowdlerized to removed the fart-sounds - and/or to edit that scene considerably - but I was pleased to see that on some cable channels it's aired - pardon the expression - in its entirety.)
The chemical components of farts, the invention of Beano (which, I find, works pretty well in minimizing, if not completely eliminating, the gassy results of indulging in beans, cabbage, or Jerusalem artichokes - and that's my commercial endorsement for the day), extracts from Mark Twain's randy 1601 (which I actually had a copy of many years ago)... oh, and the section on fart-themed songs, just the thing for long bus trips!
Taken from the Biographies of Things box with thanks! This one sounds like fun...as long as I don't have to smell it. :p
