Asian vs. Caucasian earwax

[tritia]

During bathtime, Husband mentioned that our kids have Caucasian earwax. Wha? I know we have conversations about whose traits our kids exhibit, but really? Do we need to put a claim on earwax? Husband explained that Asians have "dry" earwax and Caucasians have "wet" earwax. I proceeded to question his reasoning  and he told me to look it up.

So I

Comments

[68024]

The only thing I'm left wondering about now is, what does Asian earwax look like? I only know what they call the 'wet' type!

[trinker]

Powdery, very pale yellow. Almost white. Sometimes it just looks like what it is, flaked off skin.

(My kids both got sticky "non-East-Asian" ear wax. My mother claims there are Japanese with the sticky type. I dunno. All my immediate family of origin have the fluffy type. Dunno about my half brother. My ex, of Russian Jewish heritage, also had fluffy ear wax, although it was "damper" than mine.

This is why a lot of East Asians use mimikaki (ear picks, like little long handled spoons, for scraping out the ear "wax").

I didn't know why it was called ear wax until I was in elementary school, and saw a classmate with waxy deposits visible. I thought it was a disease, but didn't say anything. I licked an early boyfriends ear and was shocked to find out that it was bitter!

[tritia]

OMGZ, this conversation is gross. I can talk about poop all day but ear wax, ugh!

I think it's because I'm so used to my "dry" type that I'm horrified by what comes out of my kids' ears.

I had read that both parents have to have "dry" earwax to get "dry" earwax. If there is a mix of types, the default gene expression is "wet" earwax.

[trinker]

Um. Heh. [ feline composure wash ]

I keep hoping it will magically go dry. (WHY IS IT SO STICKY? GAAAAAAAAAAH!)

[yumyumcha]

Yea, as a kid, I assumed everyone had dry ear wax. It confused me earlier when someone said they put this paper cone with the tip in the ear and lit the outside part of fire to force down smoke. I'm like whaaaat?!!!