Germans Have A Nose For Trouble

People don’t normally welcome the idea of having a stuffy nose but the residents of a German village sure know how to make one. That’s because the small Bavarian village of Kucha is the site of the yearly German Tobacco Sniffing Championship. The rules of the contest are simple. Just fill your nostrils with as much tobacco as possible and win a prize. Each contestant is given a small box with five grams of tobacco called Smalzer. All they have to do is to get as much of it in their nose Last year, 220 men and women converged in Kucha to stuff their noses with tobacco. For sure, this won’t help you stop smoking or quit smoking fast. But the contestants don’t seem to mind as they came with their eyes or noses on the prize. For people outside Kucha, the contest was a unique way to spend a summer weekend. But the locals are dead serious about the whole thing. They train for it and each person has his own way of filling the nostrils with tobacco. In fact, 90% of tobacco sniffing clubs are found in this area. No wonder Bavarians always win. Obviously, having a big nose can get you somewhere in their weird competition whose origin is unknown. But seasoned veterans insist there’s a way of doing it right. It may sound easy but it doesn’t guarantee a fast quit for those already hooked on nicotine. Competitors can blow their noses, sniff and push the tobacco up their nose. But sneezing is a sure way of being disqualified. Last year’s winner was Christian Knauer, 43, who managed to stick 4.993 grams of tobacco in his nose and was cited for cleanliness. Knauer, who also won the previous year, said his secret lies in the special plastic nails he uses to pick up tobacco from the small wooden box. For those who yearn to fast stop smoking, however, we recommend skipping next year’s tournament.