Posted on 07/18/2005 10:03:30 AM PDT by LibWhacker
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man has canned the noxious-smelling exhaust fumes of East Germany's cult Trabant car and is doing a brisk trade selling the scent to those nostalgic for the former Communist state.
"The smell is something very special and scarce nowadays," said Thorsten Jahn, whose cans of "Trabi" exhaust sell online for 3.98 euros ($4.81).
"I wanted to preserve the past in an original way."
Fifteen years since reunification, nostalgia for East Germany has been running strong as rosy memories of the communist state's social safety nets, holiday camps and quaint consumer products like the tiny, box-like Trabants increasingly eclipse its negative aspects.
A friend of Jahn produced 1,800 cans in four days by holding pieces of cotton wool into the exhaust pipe of his Trabi.
Jahn said that inhaling the scent would pose no danger as the cotton wool filtered out toxic particles.
People in the former German Democratic Republic usually had to wait for years for the delivery of a Trabant. Many that remain on the road are often customized with bigger engines, convertible roofs and eye-catching paintwork.
Reminded me of this joke:
A Taliban named Akmed came to the Canada from Afghanistan, and he was only
here a few months when he became very ill.
He went to Doctor after Doctor, but none of them could help him. Finally, he
went to an Arab Doctor.
The Doctor said, "Take dees bocket, go into de odder room, poop in de
bocket, pee on de poop, and den put your head down over de bocket and
breathe in de fumes for ten minutes."
Akmed took the bucket, went into the other room, pooped in the bucket, peed
on the poop, bent over and breathed in the fumes for ten minutes.
Coming back to the Doctor he said, "It worked! I feel terrific! What was wrong with me?"
The Doctor said, "You were homesick!"
Praise Allah for miracle of healing!
Allah Akhbathroom!!
Happy little communist riding the train
Glad he wasn't nostalgic for "saurkraut with baked beans" night.
This sounds too much like the old canard about smelling mothballs.
Nostalgia is powerful stuff. American cars from that period are often restored and lovingly cared for, too...
We got a better deal than the commies, huh?
LOLOL
Lol, yes we did. By far. I keep telling the DUmmies but they just won't listen to me. :-(
Maybe I can sell them my lawnmower exhaust.
Maybe I can sell them MY exhaust after a Three Cheese Enchilda Dinner (with egg on top), rice, beans, and 3 Tecates.
Eew!
I guess next we'll have a black American entrepeneur selling nostalgic items from the age of Jim Crow.
My mother had a red 68 GTO when I was in high school. Yes, really.
Niiiiiiice! I'll bet you would do just about anything to drive that!
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