Half of the listed smells of old Paris are hardly natural smells.

Anyway, I don't think people are being 'delicate'. Instead, as we clean up our act, smaller offenses become comparatively large, and just as noticable. The reverse of nose-blindness. For example, over the years, the cleaner the air in my house the more readily I can discern wildfire smoke on the air.

Most of the time nature is not particularly rank. The smells of pine or grasses or dirt are quite subtle.

> The reverse of nose-blindness.

I had the pleasure to experience this in Paris during the first lockdown which was pretty strict. With the lack of cars on the streets the pale brown smog went away and for the first time in probably a century another smell became perceptible: sulfur.

Always nice to know that behind the fumes there's another thing ruining your lungs, this one was attributed to agricultural pollution.

^ Found the person who microwaves 3 day old fish in the break room.

I once bought Limburger cheese as a joke. I was shocked to find that the flavor was delicious and it got totally eaten up at the party I brought it to, after people dared one another to try it and being similarly surprised at the deliciousness.

Just in case it's helpful, Limburger is a type of [soft] washed rind cheese:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/cheese-101-washed-rind.h...

Most washed rind cheeses share fundamental characteristics that resemble Limburger (to me, old barn), in case you're interested in trying others.

Same! At this moment I have a Camembert in my fridge that can clear out the room once you open the fridge. Much stronger than Limburger. Also delicious.

I see your German Limburger..with all due respect to Camembert, I raise Livarot aka Le Colonel from Normandy. I expect it to remain uncontested in both the delicious and stinky category.

The Limburger without the rind is a light weight.

The first time I encountered gumbo was its smell wafting from a microwave in a shared office space. I’m still astonished that anyone could tolerate that smell and actually find it pleasing. It reminded me of when my mom would bring home kimchi from her Korean friends... she reveled in the entire house squirming as she popped open those little jars.

Funnily enough I find the most offensive smells to be way too much perfume, or scented laundry detergent.

I don’t abhor those smells per se, but I hate when they stick to surfaces so everything smells like that. Yes, we could “tolerate” them, but why should we? If it were for short periods of time, sure, I guess, but long-term? There are less aggressive, more pleasant and soothing smells to enjoy

Fish can smell anywhere from basically nothing (freshly killed fish), to absolutely putrid (surströmming). I don't think there's anything intrinsic in the human condition that we should be used to the smell of rotting fish.