I wonder how many people would actually recognize formaldehyde when they
smelled it? I would've thought that most folks in my age range would from
the old frog/fetal pig bit in high school, but maybe not.

When I was in Thailand in the late 80's I was sitting next to a Norwegian at
an open-air bar on the beach and he had been drinking Tsingtao Beer. I
thought I'd try one but when the bartender handed it to me I could
distinctly smell formaldehyde. I said something brilliant like 'holy @#$^,
this smells like it has formaldehyde in it...' and the barkeep said 'yes, is
preservative...'

A preservative. No @%$^.

I made him give me a San Miguel. The Norwegian, who was on about his tenth
beer said something like 'Wow, is that what that smell is?  Maybe I should
stop drinking these things...'

Now I realize they sell Tsingtao all over the world and in most places you'd
have a hard time selling a food product with formaldehyde in it, so it
occurred to me that perhaps what I got that day was some kind of
counterfeit; and while it may seem strange to counterfeit a beer, just about
anything else you can think of is pirated or counterfeited in that part of
the world so it isn't that unlikely. The bottling and labeling looked pretty
good so I don't know. Maybe it was some plot by the Chinese to poison
Norwegians vacationing in Thailand.

So there you have it... don't drink formaldehyde-laced Tsingtao in your
cheap FEMA trailer when you should be out driving your Vanagon.

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 2:46 PM
Subject: [NVC] ABC News: Embalmed in Your Own RV

> http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/Health/story?id=3240532&page=1
>
> --
>
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR