1 post tagged “smell”
I have no sense of smell. Actually, I always had a fine sense of smell until about 10 or so years ago, when I realized I'd lost it. I think I was cooking with garlic or something, and realized I couldn't smell anything. I do taste flavors, though probably not as well as I used to. I still thoroughly enjoy food, but I guess I respond more to texture than actual flavor. Which is interesting, because in general I have become much more of a tactile person--really love soft sheets and towels, love crunchy broccoli. So perhaps my tactile/textural sense is much more keen now to make up for the loss of my ability to smell.
Having no sense of smell is not all bad. There have been many times when I haven't been affected by someone's heavy perfume in an elevator, or driving by a skunk battleground, or walking by garbage dumps. On the other hand, it is somewhat of a handicap, as when the oil furnace in my house malfunctioned and I had no idea that the entire house and surrounding area smelled of burnt oil (and was generating deadly carbon monoxide to boot). Or when I'm not sure if milk is still drinkable--I have to have someone smell it for me. A lot of cooking also relies on smell, and that's hard. I miss things like the smell of flowers in spring or freshly mowed grass.
I still wear my favorite colognes (which I apply sparingly since I can't use my nose to gauge what's too much), and use my favorite Crabtree & Evelyn jojoba oil soap. I use these based on what I remember they smelled like, which is quite a romantic notion. But I haven't bought any new scents, since I wouldn't know if I liked them or not.
It's certainly easier to deal with than being blind or deaf!
