What's That Smell?
As I’ve mentioned before on this here blog, the factory about a half block north of where I work is where they make Girl Scout cookies. Lots and lots and lots of G.S. cookies, 24 hours a day. So the air outside this morning smells like brownies, which is a lot better than its usual scent (cow’s ass).
Isn’t it funny how a scent can stoke your memory in ways you never thought possible? I’m sure there are about 50 zillion studies and scientific research panels out there that can tell me the reason for this, but deep down, I really don’t care *why*. I just know that certain scents will always remind me of certain events or places I've been in my life.
Like what? Oh, the smell of someone smoking a pipe reminds me of my days of working in the Variety Club haunted house building, where it was cold and drafty 365 days a year, and it always smelled like wet paint and Rick’s pipe smoke. I still think Rick only smoked the pipe because he thought it made him look intellectual, but that's okay -- when you're working with a bunch of guys who paint walls black and design latex dismembered bodies while high on whatever was available, we really could've used someone else with a logical brain on the team.
The smell of baking chocolate chip cookies is a scent that most people will associate with Mom’s kitchen, but for me it’ll always be connected with Main Street USA at Disneyland. Try it sometime – walk past those shops at the Magic Kingdom and see if you don’t immediately think about chocolate chip cookies. It was years later that I found out that the smell is artificial; it's actually pumped into the air by hidden vents. A little Disney magic, revealed.
Speaking of Disney smells, try going into Pirates of the Caribbean sometime and not getting a shiver of excitement down your spine from the scent alone. It’s a combination of moss, wet wood, and salty old pirates, I suppose, but whatever it is, it’s a great introduction to a fantastic experience, and one odor you’re not likely to forget.
On the other hand, the Mall of America in Minneapolis smells like Yucky Ride Water – that overly chlorinated, slightly perfumed smell of continuously recirculated flume ride water. We’ve been to the MOA a dozen times, and every time we go the Lovely Mrs. G. and I both think the same thing – “Ewww – Yucky Ride Water.”
The scent of leather always reminds me of my cousin Al’s Cadillac. He loved that car, and drove it really, really fast. And the leather interior? It was like buttah.
But the best smell ever? It can be had but once a year, and only if you have children. It’s quite simple – On October 31, after your little witches and ghouls come home from a busy night of Trick-Or-Treating, before the little monsters dive into their 400 mini Snickers, stick your head inside their treat bag, and take a deep whiff.
Aaaah. That’s candy nirvana, my friends. Nothing beats the aroma of a large bag of Halloween candy.
So here’s to hoping that your day today is filled with a pleasant bouquet of fragrances. Take time to stop and smell the roses – and hopefully they don’t smell like cow’s ass.
Isn’t it funny how a scent can stoke your memory in ways you never thought possible? I’m sure there are about 50 zillion studies and scientific research panels out there that can tell me the reason for this, but deep down, I really don’t care *why*. I just know that certain scents will always remind me of certain events or places I've been in my life.
Like what? Oh, the smell of someone smoking a pipe reminds me of my days of working in the Variety Club haunted house building, where it was cold and drafty 365 days a year, and it always smelled like wet paint and Rick’s pipe smoke. I still think Rick only smoked the pipe because he thought it made him look intellectual, but that's okay -- when you're working with a bunch of guys who paint walls black and design latex dismembered bodies while high on whatever was available, we really could've used someone else with a logical brain on the team.
The smell of baking chocolate chip cookies is a scent that most people will associate with Mom’s kitchen, but for me it’ll always be connected with Main Street USA at Disneyland. Try it sometime – walk past those shops at the Magic Kingdom and see if you don’t immediately think about chocolate chip cookies. It was years later that I found out that the smell is artificial; it's actually pumped into the air by hidden vents. A little Disney magic, revealed.
Speaking of Disney smells, try going into Pirates of the Caribbean sometime and not getting a shiver of excitement down your spine from the scent alone. It’s a combination of moss, wet wood, and salty old pirates, I suppose, but whatever it is, it’s a great introduction to a fantastic experience, and one odor you’re not likely to forget.
On the other hand, the Mall of America in Minneapolis smells like Yucky Ride Water – that overly chlorinated, slightly perfumed smell of continuously recirculated flume ride water. We’ve been to the MOA a dozen times, and every time we go the Lovely Mrs. G. and I both think the same thing – “Ewww – Yucky Ride Water.”
The scent of leather always reminds me of my cousin Al’s Cadillac. He loved that car, and drove it really, really fast. And the leather interior? It was like buttah.
But the best smell ever? It can be had but once a year, and only if you have children. It’s quite simple – On October 31, after your little witches and ghouls come home from a busy night of Trick-Or-Treating, before the little monsters dive into their 400 mini Snickers, stick your head inside their treat bag, and take a deep whiff.
Aaaah. That’s candy nirvana, my friends. Nothing beats the aroma of a large bag of Halloween candy.
So here’s to hoping that your day today is filled with a pleasant bouquet of fragrances. Take time to stop and smell the roses – and hopefully they don’t smell like cow’s ass.
posted by Tommy G at
8:32 AM
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