Smells like MetaFilter ... and it's your free thread
July 29, 2024 12:00 AM Subscribe
Great coffee, a plum pudding, baked bread, petrichor, maple syrup, matches after the flame goes out and the smoke from a freshly lit..., cheese and fish, the many who love the smell of sharpie pens, sauces from the old country - what's a distinctive smell in your day, your life or your past ... Or write about whatever is on your mind, in your heart, on your plate or in your journal, because this is your weekly free thread. [Most latest]
The optional topic is ... optional. Just comment about what's going on in your life, if you want.
(What would MetaFilter smell like, anyway?)
The optional topic is ... optional. Just comment about what's going on in your life, if you want.
(What would MetaFilter smell like, anyway?)
My partner just flew to Munich this afternoon, part of an extended trip that will include the UK and the US. I really hope he can avoid catching COVID!
He's vaccinated, and has N95 face masks, but there are lots of big COVID spikes happening at the moment.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 12:29 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
He's vaccinated, and has N95 face masks, but there are lots of big COVID spikes happening at the moment.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 12:29 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
What immediately popped into my mind reading this prompt is walking outside on a truly cold winter morning. That crisp, freezing inhale that doesn't actually smell like much of anything, but is still (at least for me) always/oddly comforting.
posted by westface at 12:35 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
posted by westface at 12:35 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
1970s Crayola crayons. Real carbolic soap.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:52 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:52 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I wonder if there's anyone out there with synesthesia who actually does associate a smell with Metafilter's chosen shade of blue?
posted by Paul Slade at 12:55 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
posted by Paul Slade at 12:55 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
My SO experiences numbers in colour. She says metafilter blue is closest to 3 or the 30s but that those specific numbers are actually a bit of a darker blue.
posted by biffa at 1:03 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by biffa at 1:03 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
That rich smell of freshly cut grass you get coming out of O'Hare airport in the summer time, no grass in sight.
posted by chavenet at 1:11 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 1:11 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
We have new intern, he started last week. He was headed out to lunch, so I gave him $20 and asked him to pick up a couple of pints of ice cream for the crew. "What flavor" he asked, I just told him to choose.
He came back with Vanilla and... French Vanilla.
I can't figure if he's a genius or nuts.
posted by Marky at 1:12 AM on July 29 [19 favorites]
He came back with Vanilla and... French Vanilla.
I can't figure if he's a genius or nuts.
posted by Marky at 1:12 AM on July 29 [19 favorites]
One of these days I wanna make a fpp that’s just excerpts of the most bizarre and/or poetic fragrantica reviews.
(Feel free to do so in my stead, I never make fpps anyway)
posted by Mizu at 1:14 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
(Feel free to do so in my stead, I never make fpps anyway)
posted by Mizu at 1:14 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Freshly baked cookies because they remind me of a pleasant part of my childhood. Cooking was my mother's love language. Although there were never hugs or caring conversations, there was food; and always, there were cookies.
Being an outdoorsy kid, I was rarely inside when baking happened except during the coldest days of winter or in advance of xmas so I never cared to learn to cook anything except to make cheese sauce and bake sweets. I took that slim knowledge and history and turned it into an expertise in the cooking arts after I married. I learned to cook because that was how one expressed care. And I learned to hug because that was love.
Yesterday morning my house was filled the tantalizing aroma of baking. The temperature outside was uncharacteristically cool so I made brownies to take to some friends. I gave them sweets and hugs.
posted by mightshould at 1:26 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
Being an outdoorsy kid, I was rarely inside when baking happened except during the coldest days of winter or in advance of xmas so I never cared to learn to cook anything except to make cheese sauce and bake sweets. I took that slim knowledge and history and turned it into an expertise in the cooking arts after I married. I learned to cook because that was how one expressed care. And I learned to hug because that was love.
Yesterday morning my house was filled the tantalizing aroma of baking. The temperature outside was uncharacteristically cool so I made brownies to take to some friends. I gave them sweets and hugs.
posted by mightshould at 1:26 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
I had a colonoscopy today and I'm telling you we are not going to talk about smells.
The enormous meal I had afterwards was pretty great though. So is having no polyps, unlike previous ones. High fibre low-meat diet FTW.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:51 AM on July 29 [13 favorites]
The enormous meal I had afterwards was pretty great though. So is having no polyps, unlike previous ones. High fibre low-meat diet FTW.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:51 AM on July 29 [13 favorites]
Since moving to Scotland I have learned that there are, at a minimum, three distinct odors of mildew that can get on clothing. One my spouse can barely smell but reminds me of sour milk, one that I don't mind at all (reminds me of old books), but really gets to her, and one semi unpleasant one that we are trying to purge from our nearly brand new washing machine.
I haven't smelled it in thirty years, but I'm sure I'd recognize my grandmother's perfume if I smelled it again.
posted by Hactar at 1:53 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
I haven't smelled it in thirty years, but I'm sure I'd recognize my grandmother's perfume if I smelled it again.
posted by Hactar at 1:53 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
Remembering a weird fall day years back, when all of Toronto smelled of dung. It was everywhere, everyone was talking about it asking wtf? Turned out that every park in the city had fertilizer spread on the grass that day; it was warm with little wind, and the thick scent just hung around all day grossing everyone out.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:53 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:53 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
One my spouse can barely smell but reminds me of sour milk, one that I don't mind at all (reminds me of old books), but really gets to her...
That's a great angle: a smell you like - but your partner (or other family member, or housemate) loathes. Or vice versa.
posted by Wordshore at 2:04 AM on July 29
That's a great angle: a smell you like - but your partner (or other family member, or housemate) loathes. Or vice versa.
posted by Wordshore at 2:04 AM on July 29
Yesterday a young man skateboarded past me, and the scent of his aftershave was nearly visible. It trailed behind him for several meters.
What immediately popped into my mind reading this prompt is walking outside on a truly cold winter morning. That crisp, freezing inhale that doesn't actually smell like much of anything, but is still (at least for me) always/oddly comforting.
Westface, your comment reminded me of this passage from The Wind and the Willows, when Mole goes for a walk:
It was a cold, still afternoon with a hard, steely sky overhead, when he slipped out of the warm parlour into the open air. The country lay bare and entirely leafless around him, and he thought that he had never seen so far and so intimately into the insides of things as on that winter day when Nature was deep in her annual slumber and seemed to have kicked the clothes off.
Copses, dells, quarries, and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while, till they could riot in rich masquerade as before, and trick and entice him with the old deceptions. It was pitiful in a way, and yet cheering—even exhilarating.
He was glad that he liked the country undecorated, hard, and stripped of its finery. He had got down to the bare bones of it, and they were fine and strong and simple. He did not want the warm clover and the play of seeding grasses; the screens of quickset, the billowy drapery of beech and elm seemed best away; and with great cheerfulness of spirit he pushed on towards the Wild Wood, which lay before him low and threatening, like a black reef in some still southern sea.
posted by Zumbador at 2:05 AM on July 29 [17 favorites]
What immediately popped into my mind reading this prompt is walking outside on a truly cold winter morning. That crisp, freezing inhale that doesn't actually smell like much of anything, but is still (at least for me) always/oddly comforting.
Westface, your comment reminded me of this passage from The Wind and the Willows, when Mole goes for a walk:
It was a cold, still afternoon with a hard, steely sky overhead, when he slipped out of the warm parlour into the open air. The country lay bare and entirely leafless around him, and he thought that he had never seen so far and so intimately into the insides of things as on that winter day when Nature was deep in her annual slumber and seemed to have kicked the clothes off.
Copses, dells, quarries, and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while, till they could riot in rich masquerade as before, and trick and entice him with the old deceptions. It was pitiful in a way, and yet cheering—even exhilarating.
He was glad that he liked the country undecorated, hard, and stripped of its finery. He had got down to the bare bones of it, and they were fine and strong and simple. He did not want the warm clover and the play of seeding grasses; the screens of quickset, the billowy drapery of beech and elm seemed best away; and with great cheerfulness of spirit he pushed on towards the Wild Wood, which lay before him low and threatening, like a black reef in some still southern sea.
posted by Zumbador at 2:05 AM on July 29 [17 favorites]
hey smell-related question - do you think that smells can be perceived differently by people of different ages? Like how different generations will be more likely to think a particular hairstyle is attractive because of what was fashionable when they were young? I have had a few times where I'll get a cleaning product that's labelled as "no harsh scents" and to me it smells absolutely horrendous, but I'll have a younger friend say they love the stuff it smells good? anybody else notice this?
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:11 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:11 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
The slightly musty smell of my paternal grandparents' basement at their house in the suburbs west of Chicago, a cozy and dimly-lit space with a pool table, a wet bar (which as far as I know nobody ever used) and a sectioned-off nook with a vintage sofa and old TV set that one of my uncles had lived in for a while. They're no longer with us and the house was sold long ago, but every so often something will remind me of that scent of damp concrete and old upholstery.
posted by wanderingmind at 2:17 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
posted by wanderingmind at 2:17 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
My father recently died. I have one article of his clothing that still smells like him. I know one day it will no longer smell like him, but I hope that when that day happens, I will not longer NEED it to smell like him.
posted by Silvery Fish at 2:21 AM on July 29 [28 favorites]
posted by Silvery Fish at 2:21 AM on July 29 [28 favorites]
The smell of a high lap engine running on leaded gas.
posted by Mitheral at 2:27 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 2:27 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
only noteworthy olfactory experience this week was when my partner detected a very faint scent of the stuff they put in natural gas to make it into an olfactory experience, emanating from the cupboard on the ground floor where all the building's gas meters live. what one does in that situation is call the number on the gas meter, and then a very interesting person comes and locates the source of the leak. first they spot where the little invisible pinhole in the gas pipe probably is located and then accumulate evidence (partly bubble-based) to build a case for the hypothesis, and then they disconnect that line, put in a cap, put a big sign saying not to touch it unless you work for the relevant provider, take a bunch of pictures, and that's that. having turned it from a safety issue into a situation whose worst-case outcome is that the guy in flat 3 is going to get a surprise cold shower, the gas safety person asks where flat 3's postbox is, sticks a little note in there, and vanishes into the night.
posted by busted_crayons at 2:34 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
posted by busted_crayons at 2:34 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
Banda machines (I think they were called ditto machines too?) - the spirit duplicators that my teachers used to use in school when I was little in the 70s. We'd all frantically sniff the fresh copies when handed a new worksheet in class.
posted by dowcrag at 3:27 AM on July 29 [11 favorites]
posted by dowcrag at 3:27 AM on July 29 [11 favorites]
The smell of a baby’s head, like my daughters’ thirty years ago.
posted by Phanx at 3:48 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
posted by Phanx at 3:48 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
The smell of an old car with vinyl upholstery that has been sitting in the sun takes me back to my early childhood, visiting my maternal grandparents and riding in their green Buick.
On a less positive note, whenever I see someone mention fresh-mown hay, I think of phosgene, a nasty chemical warfare agent. Although I learned about it in sophomore organic chemistry, which I really enjoyed thanks to a great professor.
posted by TedW at 4:12 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
On a less positive note, whenever I see someone mention fresh-mown hay, I think of phosgene, a nasty chemical warfare agent. Although I learned about it in sophomore organic chemistry, which I really enjoyed thanks to a great professor.
posted by TedW at 4:12 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
During my childhood, in the 50s, black tar was often used for filling in cracks on roadways and, oddly, between sidewalk slabs or blocks(?). During hot summer days in would often get melty and soft and emit that tar smell.
Various parfums relatives wore when I was young. White Shoulders by Mother, Shalimare, and Emeraude by various relatives.
Ether which was used to knock me out when I had my tonsils removed about 1957.
posted by Czjewel at 4:30 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Various parfums relatives wore when I was young. White Shoulders by Mother, Shalimare, and Emeraude by various relatives.
Ether which was used to knock me out when I had my tonsils removed about 1957.
posted by Czjewel at 4:30 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
A vest long time ago, when I was a kid, I was ill in bed for a few days and my mum bought me a handful of old American comics and a box of DairyLea cheese triangles to cheer me up. The comics were 1960s editions of Doom Patrol and Metal Men, and even today when I see those characters mentioned I get a momentary sensation of those triangles' distinctive taste, smell and texture. It's happening right now, in fact...
posted by Paul Slade at 4:32 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by Paul Slade at 4:32 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
The smell of creosote walking home on a dusty dirt road in Arizona summertime.
The smell of orange blossoms on summer nights.
The particular humid smell of my grandmother’s sunroom in Florida, with a statue of Mary presiding over a field of white stones.
The smell of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland (which I understand you can get as a candle now…?)
posted by profreader at 4:38 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
The smell of orange blossoms on summer nights.
The particular humid smell of my grandmother’s sunroom in Florida, with a statue of Mary presiding over a field of white stones.
The smell of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland (which I understand you can get as a candle now…?)
posted by profreader at 4:38 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
That's a great angle: a smell you like - but your partner (or other family member, or housemate) loathes.
"Loathes"might be too strong a word, but my partner really dislikes the chlorine smell of pools or people who just came from the pool, whereas I think it smells clean and refreshing and summery. Guess which of us likes the pool, heh.
Just as well, since I really should wash the chlorine out of my hair when I get home.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:42 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
"Loathes"might be too strong a word, but my partner really dislikes the chlorine smell of pools or people who just came from the pool, whereas I think it smells clean and refreshing and summery. Guess which of us likes the pool, heh.
Just as well, since I really should wash the chlorine out of my hair when I get home.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:42 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
A not-insignificant part of the reason my wife makes her sweet potato curry is because it smells amazing at every stage -- just the spices collected together, when it starts cooking, when it's done cooking, and the kitchen the next day.
posted by Foosnark at 4:49 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by Foosnark at 4:49 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
The smell I'm mostly thinking of now is gear oil. (For the uninitiated, it does not smell like motor oil. It has a weird, unpleasant odor.) I had a "sealed" bottle of it leak in the trunk of my car. So far, despite completely removing the trunk floor carpet/ panel and cleaning various surfaces in the trunk the smell persists although at least it is pretty attenuated from how it was pre-cleanup. I'll keep chipping away at it, I'm sure it will be OK in time.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:00 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:00 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Yesterday a young man skateboarded past me, and the scent of his aftershave was nearly visible. It trailed behind him for several meters.
Heh - a few years back my farmshare offered occasional "canning or preserving" extra add-ons, and I sprung for extra basil and extra tomato. The day the basil came in, they handed me a bag with a dozen big bunches; I was on my bike, and balanced that bag on top of the basket as I peddled home. On one block I passed a father and son poking along more slowly on their own bike. They caught up to me while I was stopped at the light and the father said "you must have a lot of basil, we could smell it when you passed us!"
One big smell in the apartment yesterday was the cantaloupe I got from THIS week's farmshare; towards evening I could smell it whenever I passed the shelf where I was storing it. I'd already planned to turn it into sorbet, and I think that smell means that today is the day. It's going to be rainy on and off all day, a good day for random domesticity (a peach cake and some ratatouille are also on the docket).
One unpleasant smell that is thankfully fading - rotting plums. The plum tree in the community garden was spewing out plums with a vengeance this year; we can rig up a net under half of it to catch some of the windfalls, but the other half was still dropping plums on the walkways and into people's plots. At the height of things I was out there every day trying to pick plums from the branches just over my own plot and over some of the pathways before they fell; it was still a daily task to clean smooshed fallen plums up as well (I tried to corral them and dump them in the compost). It started slowing down about a week ago and I think it's finally done - no more plums to clean up, thank God. (Plus I now have eight jars of plum jam and I think I have JUST enough plums for a second batch of roast plum ice cream!)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:01 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Heh - a few years back my farmshare offered occasional "canning or preserving" extra add-ons, and I sprung for extra basil and extra tomato. The day the basil came in, they handed me a bag with a dozen big bunches; I was on my bike, and balanced that bag on top of the basket as I peddled home. On one block I passed a father and son poking along more slowly on their own bike. They caught up to me while I was stopped at the light and the father said "you must have a lot of basil, we could smell it when you passed us!"
One big smell in the apartment yesterday was the cantaloupe I got from THIS week's farmshare; towards evening I could smell it whenever I passed the shelf where I was storing it. I'd already planned to turn it into sorbet, and I think that smell means that today is the day. It's going to be rainy on and off all day, a good day for random domesticity (a peach cake and some ratatouille are also on the docket).
One unpleasant smell that is thankfully fading - rotting plums. The plum tree in the community garden was spewing out plums with a vengeance this year; we can rig up a net under half of it to catch some of the windfalls, but the other half was still dropping plums on the walkways and into people's plots. At the height of things I was out there every day trying to pick plums from the branches just over my own plot and over some of the pathways before they fell; it was still a daily task to clean smooshed fallen plums up as well (I tried to corral them and dump them in the compost). It started slowing down about a week ago and I think it's finally done - no more plums to clean up, thank God. (Plus I now have eight jars of plum jam and I think I have JUST enough plums for a second batch of roast plum ice cream!)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:01 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
One unpleasant smell that is thankfully fading - rotting plums.
Take that, William Carlos WIlliams!
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:06 AM on July 29 [14 favorites]
Take that, William Carlos WIlliams!
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:06 AM on July 29 [14 favorites]
Basmati rice. (a smell that my wife could not abide during her pregnancy)
posted by kozad at 5:26 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by kozad at 5:26 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Here’s a very specific one for folks of a certain age.
School handouts, “dittos”, that used the spirit duplicator process. The print was blue on white paper. Teacher would pass out fresh ones and every single student would immediately give them a big, long sniff. Phased out when “Xerox” became a thing.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:29 AM on July 29 [15 favorites]
School handouts, “dittos”, that used the spirit duplicator process. The print was blue on white paper. Teacher would pass out fresh ones and every single student would immediately give them a big, long sniff. Phased out when “Xerox” became a thing.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:29 AM on July 29 [15 favorites]
Answering Paul Slade’s question above:
I have synesthesia, and can report that, for me, MeFi blue smells like a child’s plastic suitcase from the 1960s with minty overtones.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:36 AM on July 29 [16 favorites]
I have synesthesia, and can report that, for me, MeFi blue smells like a child’s plastic suitcase from the 1960s with minty overtones.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:36 AM on July 29 [16 favorites]
When I was younger, the Yale Peabody museum had a room I later learned was called the Odorants room. It was small and roundish, maybe octagonal, near the mineral hall. There were four little displays of animals, with tiny round metal doors below them. Each one was a smell. One was civet, one was probably a musk ox, and I cannot remember the rest, which frustrates me. Maybe ambergris and a whale. Either way, no trip was complete without 1. the fluorescent minerals or 2. smelling the deep perfumery stuff of nature. It closed years ago and I've always missed it.
They just redid the museum over the last few years (a few things still in process, it literally just reopened in spring) and it's big and light and doesn't smell like brass polish and importantly there's still no smelly room and I'm oddly militant about it.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:41 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
They just redid the museum over the last few years (a few things still in process, it literally just reopened in spring) and it's big and light and doesn't smell like brass polish and importantly there's still no smelly room and I'm oddly militant about it.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:41 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
Made boeuf bourguignon yesterday. Four hours of really nice smells.
posted by signal at 5:44 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by signal at 5:44 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
My childhood memories of my grandparents are very pungent! For one thing, they had a dairy farm, and although they were not actively working the farm at the times I remember visiting (I think they had leased out their pastures) the cows and the cow patties were still around, and the barn! THE BARN!! And everything was just steeped by decades of dairy farming anyway. Grass and hay, yes, that too.
But the smell I really loved was my grandfather's gas station cum garage in town, where he did car repair (his passion!). This place ... oh wow! ... it was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, I can't even describe how much. And the smell! It was gasoline and oil and rubber and wood and concrete and the tangy metal smell of tools and machinery, and there was a real, lovely, old fashioned soft drink machine with icy glass bottles of Coke and Orange Crush and Root Beer. omg.
The best.
posted by taz at 5:44 AM on July 29 [8 favorites]
But the smell I really loved was my grandfather's gas station cum garage in town, where he did car repair (his passion!). This place ... oh wow! ... it was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, I can't even describe how much. And the smell! It was gasoline and oil and rubber and wood and concrete and the tangy metal smell of tools and machinery, and there was a real, lovely, old fashioned soft drink machine with icy glass bottles of Coke and Orange Crush and Root Beer. omg.
The best.
posted by taz at 5:44 AM on July 29 [8 favorites]
Here are three that I savor:
Dog feet/ears can have a distinct "corny" smell, like Fritos or corn chips.
Here in Savannah GA we are lowcountry coastal and the humid swampy fragrance I've grown to love is what I describe as "Farty-marshmallows"
My grandfathers aftershave had a very distinct Neroli Oil smell that occasionally strikes me when I encounter it again.
posted by djseafood at 6:04 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
Dog feet/ears can have a distinct "corny" smell, like Fritos or corn chips.
Here in Savannah GA we are lowcountry coastal and the humid swampy fragrance I've grown to love is what I describe as "Farty-marshmallows"
My grandfathers aftershave had a very distinct Neroli Oil smell that occasionally strikes me when I encounter it again.
posted by djseafood at 6:04 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
Savannah, GA! I'm in Brunswick!
posted by JHarris at 6:10 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 6:10 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
A few months back, I lost my sense of smell and taste. Probably asymptomatic Covid. Coffee tasted just like water, had no smell. Months later, a few aspects of taste and smell have returned, but coffee is not one of them. You know that wonderful aroma you get when you grind coffee, or, hell, even when you open a can of execrable Folgers? The richness and texture of it! Gone. Sometimes I make a cup of Trung Nguyen just because I can taste the chocolate flavor a little. But what I wouldn't give to smell coffee again! For me, it's sort of emblematic of getting older, too. The radio doesn't play music you want to hear. TV shows and movies no longer speak to you. And finding a book that expands your mind, forget about it. It's horrible being consumed by a wistfulness and desire for days long past, soon lost to time.
posted by jabah at 6:12 AM on July 29 [8 favorites]
posted by jabah at 6:12 AM on July 29 [8 favorites]
About connecting numbers to colors, the Commodore 64 had a very distinctive palette, and programmers soon learned it. Metafilter's blue background is close to the C64's color number 6, maybe a little lighter.
posted by JHarris at 6:14 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 6:14 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Mefi blue sort of reminds me of blueberries with a white bloom. If I were going to cook Metafilter, I'd make it into Blueberry Cobbler.
posted by taz at 6:25 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by taz at 6:25 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
When I was younger, the Yale Peabody museum had a room I later learned was called the Odorants room. It was small and roundish, maybe octagonal, near the mineral hall.
I lived in New Haven for a year in 1981. I remember that room and those little smelly exhibits. You are correct, one was ambergris, one was civet, one was musk, I don't remember the others.
I was obsessed with the Yale Peabody museum. I was 8 years old at the time, and signed up for the course where you learned how to be a museum curator, and got to make casts of dinosaur footprints, and observed the taxidermist doing the taxidermist thing, and made a tiny diorama in a box. So exciting.
I wore a T-shirt with a big dinosaur skull that said "I lost my head at the Yale Peabody Museum", or another one that said "Dinosaurs are HOT", which went well with my belt with the Battlestar Galactica buckle and my "may the force be with you" sneakers.
posted by Zumbador at 6:39 AM on July 29 [8 favorites]
I lived in New Haven for a year in 1981. I remember that room and those little smelly exhibits. You are correct, one was ambergris, one was civet, one was musk, I don't remember the others.
I was obsessed with the Yale Peabody museum. I was 8 years old at the time, and signed up for the course where you learned how to be a museum curator, and got to make casts of dinosaur footprints, and observed the taxidermist doing the taxidermist thing, and made a tiny diorama in a box. So exciting.
I wore a T-shirt with a big dinosaur skull that said "I lost my head at the Yale Peabody Museum", or another one that said "Dinosaurs are HOT", which went well with my belt with the Battlestar Galactica buckle and my "may the force be with you" sneakers.
posted by Zumbador at 6:39 AM on July 29 [8 favorites]
School handouts, “dittos”, that used the spirit duplicator process. The print was blue on white paper.
This reminds me of a specific moment in the second or third grade when there was a dumpster full of the blue inked sheets left in the courtyard and at recess many, many children (self included) went and got some, turning our hands (and clothes) blue. We were all called out for punishment and anyone showing their blue hands got it. (I think it was just some stiff reprimand, nothing serious, maybe informed the parents?). Anyway, I sat on my hands and didn't get caught, but clearly remember the chemical stench of it all.
[Bonus: that school was the same one Kamala Harris went to, for a year, by bus, a year or two before I got there.]
posted by chavenet at 6:41 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
This reminds me of a specific moment in the second or third grade when there was a dumpster full of the blue inked sheets left in the courtyard and at recess many, many children (self included) went and got some, turning our hands (and clothes) blue. We were all called out for punishment and anyone showing their blue hands got it. (I think it was just some stiff reprimand, nothing serious, maybe informed the parents?). Anyway, I sat on my hands and didn't get caught, but clearly remember the chemical stench of it all.
[Bonus: that school was the same one Kamala Harris went to, for a year, by bus, a year or two before I got there.]
posted by chavenet at 6:41 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I've never had a good sense of smell; I distinctly remember being offered a flower to smell at a very young age, sniffing, and...nothing? A lot of artificial scents today just smell to me like chemicals, they do not smell fruity or flowery or whatever they're supposed to be. Some smells trigger memories, though; petroleum products - gas, diesel, grease and oil, trigger various memories of grandfathers -- one was a farmer surrounded by tractors from modern day back to the 1930s, the other ran a full service Phillips 66 gas station he bought in the 1950s, you know the kind, half of the little building is basically a glass-enclosed place, one end a sweeping curve instead of a corner, making a small area to stand out of the rain to pay for your gas, the other half a two-bay auto repair area that probably wouldn't fit modern vehicles. Also, I recently moved my comic collection from crumbling cardboard boxes to plastic totes and that smell of old comics brought back all the time I spent reading those comics.
My dog, though, loves smells, as dogs do, but is kind of weird about it, which fits with our household of weirdos. She loves to sniff bird poop. Every spot where one has fallen on the sidewalk requires us to stop for a little bit for her to take in whatever it is she's scenting. On the opposite end, when a neighbor's rose bushes bloom, adjacent to the sidewalk, she will stick her nose as deep into each flower and sniff deeply. Our dog likes roses.
Filmmaker update: the film I'm producing shot its footage this weekend; I'm beginning to get the director's vision now that I saw what the camera sees. This is the third project of his I've worked on, and I think he's very used to working on his own, changing things on the fly, making things up as he goes, which is fine and just part of me learning how he works in hopes that this partnership will continue on to other projects. I'm amused that he always has a team of people, but nobody really has a job title and they're mostly just students who stand around chatting and goofing around until given a specific command for something. One thing the director/professor is good at is mentoring, he has a good connection with his students, keeping them involved and encouraged.
Last Thursday I had a Zoom meeting with an aspiring local filmmaker, who wrote and intends to star in her own film, after seeing her post on Facebook looking for production people. I'm going to be camera operator; I have not met the cinematographer before, they'll be my boss, but quite a few of the crew are people I have been around, some recent graduates of the film program I'm in now. It films this spring. It is a multicultural rom-com short film, two immigrants, a woman from Sudan reconnects with her high school crush, a man from India, running time of about an hour, casting will happen this fall.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:41 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
My dog, though, loves smells, as dogs do, but is kind of weird about it, which fits with our household of weirdos. She loves to sniff bird poop. Every spot where one has fallen on the sidewalk requires us to stop for a little bit for her to take in whatever it is she's scenting. On the opposite end, when a neighbor's rose bushes bloom, adjacent to the sidewalk, she will stick her nose as deep into each flower and sniff deeply. Our dog likes roses.
Filmmaker update: the film I'm producing shot its footage this weekend; I'm beginning to get the director's vision now that I saw what the camera sees. This is the third project of his I've worked on, and I think he's very used to working on his own, changing things on the fly, making things up as he goes, which is fine and just part of me learning how he works in hopes that this partnership will continue on to other projects. I'm amused that he always has a team of people, but nobody really has a job title and they're mostly just students who stand around chatting and goofing around until given a specific command for something. One thing the director/professor is good at is mentoring, he has a good connection with his students, keeping them involved and encouraged.
Last Thursday I had a Zoom meeting with an aspiring local filmmaker, who wrote and intends to star in her own film, after seeing her post on Facebook looking for production people. I'm going to be camera operator; I have not met the cinematographer before, they'll be my boss, but quite a few of the crew are people I have been around, some recent graduates of the film program I'm in now. It films this spring. It is a multicultural rom-com short film, two immigrants, a woman from Sudan reconnects with her high school crush, a man from India, running time of about an hour, casting will happen this fall.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:41 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I no longer live in the US and I don't miss what it's become for the most part.
But I do miss the sights, sounds, and smells of eastern Pennsylvania, where I grew up:
1) the unique fragrance of Queen Anne's Lace
2) the smell of snow on a crisp winter's day (I live in southern Spain)
3) the clove-y scent of Sweet Williams (my dad's name was William)
4) the aroma of my mother's "beef bone soup," to which Mexican birría bears a close resemblance
5) the fresh scent of cool air in the summer
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 6:45 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
But I do miss the sights, sounds, and smells of eastern Pennsylvania, where I grew up:
1) the unique fragrance of Queen Anne's Lace
2) the smell of snow on a crisp winter's day (I live in southern Spain)
3) the clove-y scent of Sweet Williams (my dad's name was William)
4) the aroma of my mother's "beef bone soup," to which Mexican birría bears a close resemblance
5) the fresh scent of cool air in the summer
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 6:45 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Metafilter smells like my Corn Chowder (serves 2):
2 large potatoes, chopped into 1" cubes
1 large shallot, chopped medium fine
1 cob of corn, kernels sliced off, and cob scraped using the back of a knife
2-3 rashers of bacon, sliced into small pieces
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
1/4 tsp herbes de provence
Garlic salt & pepper
Melt butter in a stockpot, and add bacon, shallots and pepper flakes. Once bacon has crisped (a little) add potatoes. Salt and pepper as desired. Let the potatoes cook for a little bit, then add stock. Cook until potatoes are becoming fork tender and add corn, heavy cream and herbs. I usually wait and just slice off/scrape the corn cob directly into the pot at this point.
Low simmer until potatoes are soft, then take a masher (or use a wooden spoon) to break up and smash about 1/3 of the potatoes to thicken the soup.
Take off the flame and let it sit for a little while. I serve this with a dusting of Mexican street corn seasoning sprinkled on top.
Smells good.
posted by valkane at 6:48 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
2 large potatoes, chopped into 1" cubes
1 large shallot, chopped medium fine
1 cob of corn, kernels sliced off, and cob scraped using the back of a knife
2-3 rashers of bacon, sliced into small pieces
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
1/4 tsp herbes de provence
Garlic salt & pepper
Melt butter in a stockpot, and add bacon, shallots and pepper flakes. Once bacon has crisped (a little) add potatoes. Salt and pepper as desired. Let the potatoes cook for a little bit, then add stock. Cook until potatoes are becoming fork tender and add corn, heavy cream and herbs. I usually wait and just slice off/scrape the corn cob directly into the pot at this point.
Low simmer until potatoes are soft, then take a masher (or use a wooden spoon) to break up and smash about 1/3 of the potatoes to thicken the soup.
Take off the flame and let it sit for a little while. I serve this with a dusting of Mexican street corn seasoning sprinkled on top.
Smells good.
posted by valkane at 6:48 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
25,975 XP on Duolingo yesterday - over 6,500 exercises in 24 hours - to come from behind and take #1 spot from an offline ambusher with over 35K in Diamond League semi-finals. They logged on near the end and it turned into a bit of a race for a moment, but I ended up ahead by about 2,500, with a final score of 40,098.
My fingers and wrist are *burning*, but I appear to have achieved some beginner’s semblance of “I can just hear basic Japanese sentence construction” as a result. My first several lessons this morning were all new words rather than endlessly grinding high-value past lessons like yesterday, and every single new word I picked up immediately from context even if it was thrown in with no introduction. Neat.
My only concern now is that unlike Turkish (my previous experience with Duolingo) the Japanese sessions do not even attempt to grade your pronunciation; all exercises are pure listening and reading, no speaking. This is fine for watching anime or reading manga, but it feels like I’m setting myself up for starting from ground zero down the road. I’ve begun repeating back each phrase in untimed exercises with special attention to pitch (since I know that’s a thing), but I’m starting to think I’m going to need a “paired with a Japanese tutor” service. Ugh.
On the brightside my apartment is immaculate because I needed something to do for breaks while pacing back and forth for 12 hours yesterday.
posted by Ryvar at 7:00 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
My fingers and wrist are *burning*, but I appear to have achieved some beginner’s semblance of “I can just hear basic Japanese sentence construction” as a result. My first several lessons this morning were all new words rather than endlessly grinding high-value past lessons like yesterday, and every single new word I picked up immediately from context even if it was thrown in with no introduction. Neat.
My only concern now is that unlike Turkish (my previous experience with Duolingo) the Japanese sessions do not even attempt to grade your pronunciation; all exercises are pure listening and reading, no speaking. This is fine for watching anime or reading manga, but it feels like I’m setting myself up for starting from ground zero down the road. I’ve begun repeating back each phrase in untimed exercises with special attention to pitch (since I know that’s a thing), but I’m starting to think I’m going to need a “paired with a Japanese tutor” service. Ugh.
On the brightside my apartment is immaculate because I needed something to do for breaks while pacing back and forth for 12 hours yesterday.
posted by Ryvar at 7:00 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
He came back with Vanilla and... French Vanilla.
I can't figure if he's a genius or nuts.
You told them to choose. Being a new intern, they likely had no clue of the likes/dislikes or possible allergies of the rest of the staff. Two types of vanilla are safe (and delicious) choices.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:03 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
I can't figure if he's a genius or nuts.
You told them to choose. Being a new intern, they likely had no clue of the likes/dislikes or possible allergies of the rest of the staff. Two types of vanilla are safe (and delicious) choices.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:03 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
One of my strong memory sets is my grandmother's house in a very small Missouri town along the Mississippi. She had boxwood in the front yard, but for ages I didn't know that the strong smell was coming from them until I visited a historic house with lots of it and made the connection. She also had a basement full of books and an old creaky sofa, so the smell of old books and just a hint of mildew meant that I was about to spend the day just as I wished - alone in the basement with heaps of books to read, and maybe later I could emerge and we would go walk for ice cream.
posted by PussKillian at 7:03 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by PussKillian at 7:03 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
My wife can't eat onions or garlic or any allium, which we discovered when I moved in and started cooking every meal with a skillet of alliums. After a few years cooking without them, I was working in an office building so isolated that they had leased out a big chunk of the ground floor to a catering company, on the condition that they run a small cafe for the office workers.
One morning, I walked in and they were ROASTING GARLIC. The whole building smelled of it, and I was giddily drifting around in the hallways all morning.
Apparently, it wasn't appreciated by others, and it never happened again.
posted by McBearclaw at 7:14 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
One morning, I walked in and they were ROASTING GARLIC. The whole building smelled of it, and I was giddily drifting around in the hallways all morning.
Apparently, it wasn't appreciated by others, and it never happened again.
posted by McBearclaw at 7:14 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Good smells: libraries or any book shop; bakeries; the basil growing on our porch; the air when it snows
Bad smell: here in Denver, you often get a cow-poop-ish smell on the breeze; I have been told it's either "wind from Greeley" or "the dogfood plant." Does take away a bit from the nice bits of living here.
Lost smells: my mom's cologne (Avon Timeless) which no one wears anymore, but after she passed I would occasionally smell from someone and get a rush of memory. The smells of friend's houses that I don't see anymore (or who have moved).
posted by emjaybee at 7:17 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Bad smell: here in Denver, you often get a cow-poop-ish smell on the breeze; I have been told it's either "wind from Greeley" or "the dogfood plant." Does take away a bit from the nice bits of living here.
Lost smells: my mom's cologne (Avon Timeless) which no one wears anymore, but after she passed I would occasionally smell from someone and get a rush of memory. The smells of friend's houses that I don't see anymore (or who have moved).
posted by emjaybee at 7:17 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Some of my favorite smells:
cinnamon
I cant' stop smelling cinnamon. Its like an addiction.
musk
That undertone in the smell of people's bodies. The smell of sex.
play-doh
Few smells are not only so distinctive but always take you to a place and time.
new paperbacks
hawthorns
Many people may not be familiar with this. Stewed hawthorns have this rich aroma.
bergamot
Like cinnamon, in that the smell is addictive.
hibiscus flower
Probably my Mexican upbringing.
roasting peppers
Whenever we have a pepper dish, the smell of the roasting peppers is terrific. Oddly the taste doesnt always live up to the smell.
vanilla beans
Many people's favorite. Real vanilla is one of the best scents and flavors known to man.
strawberry nesquik
A strange artificial sweet flavor
black licorice
Licorice in general, I suppose.
bourbon
Just the smell of bourbon is incredible. No wonder its used in cooking.
posted by vacapinta at 7:20 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
cinnamon
I cant' stop smelling cinnamon. Its like an addiction.
musk
That undertone in the smell of people's bodies. The smell of sex.
play-doh
Few smells are not only so distinctive but always take you to a place and time.
new paperbacks
hawthorns
Many people may not be familiar with this. Stewed hawthorns have this rich aroma.
bergamot
Like cinnamon, in that the smell is addictive.
hibiscus flower
Probably my Mexican upbringing.
roasting peppers
Whenever we have a pepper dish, the smell of the roasting peppers is terrific. Oddly the taste doesnt always live up to the smell.
vanilla beans
Many people's favorite. Real vanilla is one of the best scents and flavors known to man.
strawberry nesquik
A strange artificial sweet flavor
black licorice
Licorice in general, I suppose.
bourbon
Just the smell of bourbon is incredible. No wonder its used in cooking.
posted by vacapinta at 7:20 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
Scent memories:
- the smell of just-snuffed candles takes me back to my maternal grandparents home. The had a silver conical snuffer. Ditto for the smell and sound of coffee percolating. And finally, the slightly musty smell of their finished basement with the hide-a-bed, where I spent untold hours poring over my uncle's saved Model Railroader magazines (also a little musty) from the 1950s.
- the smell of gasoline used to strongly evoke memories of the cottages my parents would rent in the summer, because of filling and running elderly outboards. Good times. Gas is no longer a strong trigger for those cottage memories, now that we own a small boat.
- also cottage/outdoors- anyone remember the smell of 6-12 bug repellent, especially the stick variety?
Otherwise, family dysfunction, mostly centered on supporting my elderly mother. Some families just suck; some are oases of love and support. No oasis, ours.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:23 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
- the smell of just-snuffed candles takes me back to my maternal grandparents home. The had a silver conical snuffer. Ditto for the smell and sound of coffee percolating. And finally, the slightly musty smell of their finished basement with the hide-a-bed, where I spent untold hours poring over my uncle's saved Model Railroader magazines (also a little musty) from the 1950s.
- the smell of gasoline used to strongly evoke memories of the cottages my parents would rent in the summer, because of filling and running elderly outboards. Good times. Gas is no longer a strong trigger for those cottage memories, now that we own a small boat.
- also cottage/outdoors- anyone remember the smell of 6-12 bug repellent, especially the stick variety?
Otherwise, family dysfunction, mostly centered on supporting my elderly mother. Some families just suck; some are oases of love and support. No oasis, ours.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:23 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
The worst part of traveling for me is entering a rental and being hit with a wave of Glade plug in, scented fabric softener, or similar nasuea/headache generators. Does anyone actually enjoy these smells or are they just used to cover up worse smells? Intellectually I am forced to assume some people do like them and I'm on the losing end of a "cilantro tastes like soap to some people" kind of situation, but viscerally they are as gross as cigarette smoke.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 7:25 AM on July 29 [9 favorites]
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 7:25 AM on July 29 [9 favorites]
My sister-in-law and one of our kids are in the "no cilantro, thank-you" school and it always seemed like a petty aberration, maybe even something made up. Then a couple years ago (swine-flu I think it was) I was brought waaaaay low with a virus that felt truly medieval in its vicious, relentless attack on my being. I felt like a creature under assault. It was absolutely beastial, primal. After a week I emerged on the other side and my eye-sight was weird and everything tasted funny and I had unfamiliar dreams that seemed to take ages each night so I would wake up emotionally exhausted. And I couldn't bear the taste of cilantro. Ivory soap. The damndest thing. I felt like an alien and for two days grieved that perhaps this was my future, estrangement from one of my favorite flavors and smells. Luckily as whatever it was in my biome that had been so ravaged by the flu re-set itself so did my affection for cilantro. But now I know: richer but also warier for the knowledge.
posted by From Bklyn at 7:33 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 7:33 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Honeysuckle on the humid air of the Bluegrass Parkway.
Plumeria on the humid air of Oahu.
The Pacific Ocean. I remember returning to California after a long five years in New Jersey at an awful job. I drove across the US with all of my belongings in my car. I reached 29Palms, which is still out in the Wild East of the Greater Los Angeles Area. I salt smell of the Pacific Ocean welcomed me back home. It was so relaxing, so healing, so lovely.
posted by effluvia at 7:33 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Plumeria on the humid air of Oahu.
The Pacific Ocean. I remember returning to California after a long five years in New Jersey at an awful job. I drove across the US with all of my belongings in my car. I reached 29Palms, which is still out in the Wild East of the Greater Los Angeles Area. I salt smell of the Pacific Ocean welcomed me back home. It was so relaxing, so healing, so lovely.
posted by effluvia at 7:33 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Glue.
Back in the late 60s, we had the kitchen in the house I grew up redone. The smell from the glue they used to hold the Formica down on the countertops was overpowering. No attempt to ventilate was made, of course. I'm sure whatever that glue was it was banned in California years ago. Probably no worse than the fumes from the heating oil tank in the basement, though.
posted by tommasz at 7:41 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Back in the late 60s, we had the kitchen in the house I grew up redone. The smell from the glue they used to hold the Formica down on the countertops was overpowering. No attempt to ventilate was made, of course. I'm sure whatever that glue was it was banned in California years ago. Probably no worse than the fumes from the heating oil tank in the basement, though.
posted by tommasz at 7:41 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
I always enjoy the "I smell coffee when I'm still in bed" smell because it's a rarity. I went on a short hike on the Long Trail yesterday and was surprised (and then surprised at my surprise) at how strongly it smelled like weed. I love the smell of a neighbor grilling something up on their porch.
posted by jessamyn at 7:43 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 7:43 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
The most recently established evocative smell in my life: we moved a year ago to a place where there’s horses behind our house. On warm days, when the sun is going down and the temperature has begun to drop, the smell of horse piss rises gently up to take over our bit of land. I love it
Important smells in no particular order:
The smell when you cut into a pumpkin
The smell of the soap they used at the synagogue where we went until we moved away when I was eight
The smell of the Ida Noyes building at the University of Chicago
The smell of a lip balm I used constantly in the seventh grade, which is also exactly the smell of a lotion my abusive college boyfriend used extensively
The smell when plain paraffin candles finish guttering and go out
The smell of the olive oil soap my husband uses, which sometimes smells plain and soapy (fine), sometimes like pine tar (good), and sometimes like unscented baby wipes (awful). This is not bar to bar variation this is the same bar of soap. I don’t get it.
The smell of Chanel No. 5, which my mother never wore but kept a sample spritzer of in the medicine cabinet when I was I kid
The smell of Southern California, which is probably just the smell of my grandparents’ house
The smell of my childhood dog’s forehead (clementines, I swear to god)
The smell of the hot beads (glass? mysterious plastic)? my old optician used to dip glasses in to make them bendable
The smell when jasmine flowers open for the night
The garbage smell specific to Toronto’s Chinatown, and the other garbage smell shared by the rest of the city
posted by cabbage raccoon at 7:56 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Important smells in no particular order:
The smell when you cut into a pumpkin
The smell of the soap they used at the synagogue where we went until we moved away when I was eight
The smell of the Ida Noyes building at the University of Chicago
The smell of a lip balm I used constantly in the seventh grade, which is also exactly the smell of a lotion my abusive college boyfriend used extensively
The smell when plain paraffin candles finish guttering and go out
The smell of the olive oil soap my husband uses, which sometimes smells plain and soapy (fine), sometimes like pine tar (good), and sometimes like unscented baby wipes (awful). This is not bar to bar variation this is the same bar of soap. I don’t get it.
The smell of Chanel No. 5, which my mother never wore but kept a sample spritzer of in the medicine cabinet when I was I kid
The smell of Southern California, which is probably just the smell of my grandparents’ house
The smell of my childhood dog’s forehead (clementines, I swear to god)
The smell of the hot beads (glass? mysterious plastic)? my old optician used to dip glasses in to make them bendable
The smell when jasmine flowers open for the night
The garbage smell specific to Toronto’s Chinatown, and the other garbage smell shared by the rest of the city
posted by cabbage raccoon at 7:56 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
We had a couple of large lilac bushes at our old house. They were located just outside the window of my studio and, when they were in bloom, the scent would drift into my studio. It was heaven. I miss those bushes.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:57 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 7:57 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
The chlorine of a swimming pool will always be soothing to me. I was on the swim team in high school and go back to swimming for exercise when I can afford/access it. It's the smell of the place where I can go and swim laps while I think through something.
posted by bridgebury at 7:59 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by bridgebury at 7:59 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
When I was just out of college, I got an interview at Adobe (and a few other places). Adobe stood out because the buildings they occupied at their old Shoreline address were surrounded by night blooming jasmine. The scent was new for me and unique and I associate it with a time of change an opportunity.
Tomato plants - the scent you get on your hands after tying them up to stakes.
posted by plinth at 8:00 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Tomato plants - the scent you get on your hands after tying them up to stakes.
posted by plinth at 8:00 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
We've spent the past 3 months in semi-arid/high desert areas, where monsoon season means rain comes through nearly every afternoon for a few minutes. Most days I've closed up the house by mid-morning to keep the night cool in, but I try to get a couple windows open just as the rain hits to let the petrichor in.
I miss the Fritos smell of dog feet. I prefer not to get anywhere near the cat's feet, not only because I am intimately aware of where they've been but also because One Does Not Touch The Murder Mittens and I like my face in one piece.
I love cucumbers and watermelon but the smell makes me want to burp. Other melons also make me want to burp but it's so hard to get truly good cantaloupe etc that they're rarely worth that feeling so I rarely bother eating them.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:14 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
I miss the Fritos smell of dog feet. I prefer not to get anywhere near the cat's feet, not only because I am intimately aware of where they've been but also because One Does Not Touch The Murder Mittens and I like my face in one piece.
I love cucumbers and watermelon but the smell makes me want to burp. Other melons also make me want to burp but it's so hard to get truly good cantaloupe etc that they're rarely worth that feeling so I rarely bother eating them.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:14 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
I feel so stupid. I ran into that giant hard U thing while trying to get gas and totally knocked off half the front of the car. This is after I already spent thousands getting it replaced a few months ago and he said at the time I'd gotten lucky because those are hard to find. I did this to myself with my own stupidity. I want to cry.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:20 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:20 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
One morning, I walked in and they were ROASTING GARLIC. The whole building smelled of it, and I was giddily drifting around in the hallways all morning.
Heh; before Covid my farmshare did the distribution by laying everything out on tables and you could choose WHICH eggplant or ears of corn or whatever you got. We each have to volunteer to assist with one distribution shift each year, and one year when they did the table thing, I was there on the day when they happened to have both basil and garlic available. I pounced on helming that table, and stood there in the summer sunshine with big piles of basil and garlic in front of me and an enormous grin on my face for three hours. "Man, it smells good over here!" everyone said as they came over. I just smiled knowingly.
Similarly: I have some ratatouille going right now for meal prep purposes. I use a method from Clotilde Dusolier where you roast things on a sheet pan instead of cooking them on the stovetop; it's way easier and your whole house smells like roasting garlic and onions.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:45 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
Heh; before Covid my farmshare did the distribution by laying everything out on tables and you could choose WHICH eggplant or ears of corn or whatever you got. We each have to volunteer to assist with one distribution shift each year, and one year when they did the table thing, I was there on the day when they happened to have both basil and garlic available. I pounced on helming that table, and stood there in the summer sunshine with big piles of basil and garlic in front of me and an enormous grin on my face for three hours. "Man, it smells good over here!" everyone said as they came over. I just smiled knowingly.
Similarly: I have some ratatouille going right now for meal prep purposes. I use a method from Clotilde Dusolier where you roast things on a sheet pan instead of cooking them on the stovetop; it's way easier and your whole house smells like roasting garlic and onions.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:45 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
Off piste for the free thread: OMG OMG AMC+ GAVE US A TASTE OF THE VAMPIRE LESTAT
(i put it in FanFare Talk)
posted by Kitteh at 8:51 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
(i put it in FanFare Talk)
posted by Kitteh at 8:51 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
My grandparents kept their fine napkins and tablecloths in a cedar china cabinet, so family gatherings smelled vaguely of cedar. Over the years, that cabinet (not my photo but the same popular mid century piece) has come to me, so I can experience that childhood smell any time. It’s a treat.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:53 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:53 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Off piste for the free thread:
No such thing! That's the beauty of it - the only requested no-go is politics, but everything else is fair game in the free threads. So you can wax rhapsodic about how your house smells because you're making ratatouille but then come in 20 minutes later and say "omigod y'all I already one job interview lined up today but a second one just popped up for me today out of nowhere".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:57 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
No such thing! That's the beauty of it - the only requested no-go is politics, but everything else is fair game in the free threads. So you can wax rhapsodic about how your house smells because you're making ratatouille but then come in 20 minutes later and say "omigod y'all I already one job interview lined up today but a second one just popped up for me today out of nowhere".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:57 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
Big virtual hug for jenfullmoon and hope this too shall pass.
What does MetaFilter smell like? I'd assume it smells like a piping hot plate of beans...
My current favorite smell is (deep breath) Xerjoff Iommi Monkey Special. The legendary Black Sabbath guitarist has not one, not two, but three perfumes available, with Monkey Special being named after his favorite guitar. It's an amazing combination of sweet and musty scents. Also comes with a QR code so you can watch an absolutely bonkers music video.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 9:01 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
What does MetaFilter smell like? I'd assume it smells like a piping hot plate of beans...
My current favorite smell is (deep breath) Xerjoff Iommi Monkey Special. The legendary Black Sabbath guitarist has not one, not two, but three perfumes available, with Monkey Special being named after his favorite guitar. It's an amazing combination of sweet and musty scents. Also comes with a QR code so you can watch an absolutely bonkers music video.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 9:01 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
I've discovered over the last few years that I am noseblind. I can smell things, but I have the scent capacity comparatively of an 8-bit graphics card. Frequently, my wife will tell me that she can't believe how bad something smells and I'm clueless. I can still smell good things like fresh lavender and lily of the valley, etc...
This is only bad in that I have shirts that I wear to work that have apparently picked up a smell and I can't smell them (to me they smell like the detergent we use) but my wife is floored. So add that to the things I'm anxious about.
posted by schyler523 at 9:07 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
This is only bad in that I have shirts that I wear to work that have apparently picked up a smell and I can't smell them (to me they smell like the detergent we use) but my wife is floored. So add that to the things I'm anxious about.
posted by schyler523 at 9:07 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
When I was a small child we spent part of a summer at Point of Woods on Fire Island. There are no cars; you get there by ferry and travel everywhere on boardwalks with wagons. For the rest of my life I have been struck dumb by that particular amazing perfect smell, which I think is the scent of old wood in the sunlight near the ocean.
All the ocean and beach and estuary and tidal smells: I love them all, with the possible exception of dead sea lion. I even particularly love the smell of the pluff mud as you're coming into Charleston on I-26, just as you get there and that smell rises up through the open car windows along with the tenacious odor of the paper mill. That particular combo, which might cause some to frantically roll up their windows, is Home. I left long long ago and I'll probably never go again but there it is, the nose is a stubborn thing.
Some others: The woods: the trees and running water, pine needles and humus. That's western North Carolina but also, somehow, the woods here in the PNW. Petrichor, oh yes. I like patchouli and sandalwood, that's being around kind hippies. Campfire smoke, mmmm. Rain and campfire smoke and pine needles, oh yeah. Cut grass. Fresh rosemary. Cilantro. Tomato vines and good clean potting soil.
I have a really strong sense of smell and a lot of chemical scents are migraine triggers. I try to hold my breath when I have to go down the detergent aisle in the supermarket; I remember being a child and doing almost anything to avoid that aisle without understanding why, exactly. Air "fresheners" and a lot of cleaners are poison for me as are many perfumes and other scents. I hate having to explain that; I hate that I will get a headache and in general it kind of sucks. But it would suck worse not to be able to smell everything good or not to be able to lean over a cooking pot, take a deep whiff and know what seasoning is still needed.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:17 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
All the ocean and beach and estuary and tidal smells: I love them all, with the possible exception of dead sea lion. I even particularly love the smell of the pluff mud as you're coming into Charleston on I-26, just as you get there and that smell rises up through the open car windows along with the tenacious odor of the paper mill. That particular combo, which might cause some to frantically roll up their windows, is Home. I left long long ago and I'll probably never go again but there it is, the nose is a stubborn thing.
Some others: The woods: the trees and running water, pine needles and humus. That's western North Carolina but also, somehow, the woods here in the PNW. Petrichor, oh yes. I like patchouli and sandalwood, that's being around kind hippies. Campfire smoke, mmmm. Rain and campfire smoke and pine needles, oh yeah. Cut grass. Fresh rosemary. Cilantro. Tomato vines and good clean potting soil.
I have a really strong sense of smell and a lot of chemical scents are migraine triggers. I try to hold my breath when I have to go down the detergent aisle in the supermarket; I remember being a child and doing almost anything to avoid that aisle without understanding why, exactly. Air "fresheners" and a lot of cleaners are poison for me as are many perfumes and other scents. I hate having to explain that; I hate that I will get a headache and in general it kind of sucks. But it would suck worse not to be able to smell everything good or not to be able to lean over a cooking pot, take a deep whiff and know what seasoning is still needed.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:17 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
I've been baking a lot of baguettes lately and the smell of fresh bread is obviously lovely, but I've been noticing the other smells involved in the process. The grainy smell of the flour. I know salt isn't supposed to have a smell, but it does. Maybe it's the iodine. And there's the yeasty smell of the freshly mixed poolish, and then the boozy smell the next morning. The smell of the first rise isn't as strong as the smell of the second. Once in the oven, the house carries the scent on warm drafts. It's not all good smells in the process, but it creates a smell so powerful that it can lead to people making decisions with a clouded mind. And don't get me started on the smell of it toasted and then buttered.
Still making sandwiches out of them.
posted by Stanczyk at 9:23 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Still making sandwiches out of them.
posted by Stanczyk at 9:23 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Ratatouille is done and cooling, and now it's a peach and lemon cake in the oven. Things already smell like lemon zest and lemon verbena, and within a half hour I'm going to start smelling warm fresh peaches and just...."cake smell"? You know.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:56 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:56 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
I got the dreaded phone call that my dad was in the ER with pneumonia last night while my phone was on do not disturb (not unexpected - he is very late stage Parkinsons with dementia and has been in long term care with a DNR for a couple of years). The google transcription of the voicemail message left by the ER doc changed my father's name from G. A. Boisvert to Gay Boy.
posted by srboisvert at 10:04 AM on July 29 [9 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 10:04 AM on July 29 [9 favorites]
Two fragrant memories:
- I walked up behind a Sumo wrestler waiting for the lights to change to cross the street at Shinagawa station, and realized he smelled good. It was kind of cinnamon-y; when I shared this memory with a Japanese student she said "I hate that smell" and said it was the oil they put into their top-knots.
- Tetrachloroethylene is the smell at the dry cleaners which triggers memories of huffing in middle school (it's better than glue, kids!)
What does MetaFilter smell like? I'd assume it smells like a piping hot plate of beans …
Ah, but what kind of beans?
posted by cabbage raccoon at 10:15 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Ah, but what kind of beans?
posted by cabbage raccoon at 10:15 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
A few months ago, Mrs. discard and I shifted to a plant-based diet. Not because of any ethical or moral reason, although animal cruelty and factory farms are objectively terrible, and climate change due to livestock feed production is absolutely the worst. But what got me was, of all the things, blood plasma.
We watched a documentary on the big N called "Game Changers", about vegan and vegetarian performance athletes. They had three football (American) players (also American) eat the same burrito meal, same ingredients, except of the difference of chicken in one, beef in another, and black beans in the last. Two hours later, all three had a blood draw, the team centrifuged it apart, and the plasma of the two meat eaters was fat-laden and cloudy. Like rinsing a well-used cast iron skillet, and watching the blooms of grease slide off. The bean eater's plasma was crystal clear. The next day, all three had the bean variation, and same process of 2 hours, blood draw, spinny-do, etc., and shocker, their plasma was also clear.
In a phrase, terrifyingly disgusted with some previous life choices. My wife is way more crunchy granola Boulder hippie than I have ever been, but in those few minutes, I felt myself violently pulled towards her position.
Shockingly, don't miss it. Don't even think about. Plant based is so easy, and the smells, the tastes, the balance of flavors are powerful without an animal based protein. Chickpeas, Black Beans, Lentils, obviously Tofu, and even some cheeses like Halloumi, can be used in a meat's stead. The experimentation and rebalancing of dishes, meals, and the like is amazing. Once again, I feel as if American's are lied to by their culture. It is disgusting, and so many other cultures had it figured out millennia ago. But I was raised to think that animal protein was required. And that, emjaybee, smells like Greeley (which is feed lots.)
... And the smell of blackened onion infused oil, with a touch of roasted garlic and salt, added to Basmati rice like an sauce is literally like a feast for the senses. The work friend of my wife (who is from Afghanistan) introduced me, and to her, it is just normal food. Add shredded Carrot, toss in some raisins, and the dish is heaven in the mouth. Sweet, savory, and delectable.
posted by discardme at 10:21 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
We watched a documentary on the big N called "Game Changers", about vegan and vegetarian performance athletes. They had three football (American) players (also American) eat the same burrito meal, same ingredients, except of the difference of chicken in one, beef in another, and black beans in the last. Two hours later, all three had a blood draw, the team centrifuged it apart, and the plasma of the two meat eaters was fat-laden and cloudy. Like rinsing a well-used cast iron skillet, and watching the blooms of grease slide off. The bean eater's plasma was crystal clear. The next day, all three had the bean variation, and same process of 2 hours, blood draw, spinny-do, etc., and shocker, their plasma was also clear.
In a phrase, terrifyingly disgusted with some previous life choices. My wife is way more crunchy granola Boulder hippie than I have ever been, but in those few minutes, I felt myself violently pulled towards her position.
Shockingly, don't miss it. Don't even think about. Plant based is so easy, and the smells, the tastes, the balance of flavors are powerful without an animal based protein. Chickpeas, Black Beans, Lentils, obviously Tofu, and even some cheeses like Halloumi, can be used in a meat's stead. The experimentation and rebalancing of dishes, meals, and the like is amazing. Once again, I feel as if American's are lied to by their culture. It is disgusting, and so many other cultures had it figured out millennia ago. But I was raised to think that animal protein was required. And that, emjaybee, smells like Greeley (which is feed lots.)
... And the smell of blackened onion infused oil, with a touch of roasted garlic and salt, added to Basmati rice like an sauce is literally like a feast for the senses. The work friend of my wife (who is from Afghanistan) introduced me, and to her, it is just normal food. Add shredded Carrot, toss in some raisins, and the dish is heaven in the mouth. Sweet, savory, and delectable.
posted by discardme at 10:21 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I am enjoying the new odors of gluten-free foods and missing the odors of a lot of favorite foods as I embark on a gluten-free diet to see if that will help with some health issues I've been experiencing (ahead of finally getting into see a new primary care doctor after an unfortunately timed insurance change). I have at least one family member who is diagnosed with celiac disease, so that possible diagnosis looms large. At least a visit to urgent care last week didn't discover an immediately serious concerns.
I've also been cutting way back on caffeine and trying out a variety of tisanes. My favorite so far is roasted dandelion root, which both smells and tastes delightful. I only wish it went well with creamer like my morning coffee used to. Scents can be deceiving though: I've been trying a variety sampler of various rooibos blends. I have one sitting next to me right now that smells wonderfully floral, but that same floral element is not something I enjoy the taste of.
posted by audi alteram partem at 10:23 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
I've also been cutting way back on caffeine and trying out a variety of tisanes. My favorite so far is roasted dandelion root, which both smells and tastes delightful. I only wish it went well with creamer like my morning coffee used to. Scents can be deceiving though: I've been trying a variety sampler of various rooibos blends. I have one sitting next to me right now that smells wonderfully floral, but that same floral element is not something I enjoy the taste of.
posted by audi alteram partem at 10:23 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
OK, I'll use the free thread to ask a stupid question!
Imagine that this is the title of a book. What sounds most natural to native English speakers - "How to fuck up your country" or "How to fuck your country up"? Is there a difference between American and British English?
posted by Termite at 10:25 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Imagine that this is the title of a book. What sounds most natural to native English speakers - "How to fuck up your country" or "How to fuck your country up"? Is there a difference between American and British English?
posted by Termite at 10:25 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
"How to fuck up your country" or "How to fuck your country up"? The first, of course. One does not end a sentence with a preposition. (So, for the second, proper English would require "How to fuck your country up, asshole.")
posted by Daily Alice at 10:30 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
posted by Daily Alice at 10:30 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
"How to fuck up your country" seems the best. The Fuck and the Up belong together, like old friends.
posted by discardme at 10:30 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
posted by discardme at 10:30 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
American English speaker here. "How To Fuck Up Your Country" says to me that the book will be about how to unintentionally mess things up so badly that your country fails. "How To Fuck Your Country Up" says to me that the book will be about how to intentionally mess things up badly so that the consequence is your country will fail.
posted by cooker girl at 10:39 AM on July 29 [19 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 10:39 AM on July 29 [19 favorites]
I’ve been taking care of the daughter of a former roommate and current member of my best friends club. The daughter is 12, when she and her mom moved in with me she was 6. It stuns me that she’ll be a teen in her next school year. For her last birthday I got her a carton of 36 stink bombs after she had expressed interest in fart spray. I picked her up after school that day, put the top down on my car, and then drove real slow as hucked them at her little friendsies. The year before that it was slime or bust. It’s been fun seeing her grow up, who knows what she’ll be into next year.
Her mom leaves her with me pretty frequently. We usually get boba, and sometimes I take her to Hot Topic, which is like walking into a time capsule. Seriously they’re selling butterfly clips and band shirts silkscreened with The Pixies logo. From a purely anthropological perspective, I’d encourage all of you to take a stroll through a Hot Topic if you haven’t in decades, it’s like their calendar got jammed in the 90s and they just left it there.
Most of the time though, we just talk about feelings. A lot of the adults in her life are having a hard time and have somewhat rosy view of childhood. I remember childhood as being HARD, but on top of what I experienced, it seems like puberty may straight up be happening earlier for her entire cohort, so she gets to deal with all those fun changes to her brain chemistry at an earlier stage of development than I had to. I feel honored that she seems to trust me enough to talk about things that are very real to her, and I’m really happy that we’re able to walk through and process some of that stuff, or sometimes just acknowledge what she’s feeling as valid and feel it for a while. On top of all that, she answers my questions about the definition rizz or what’s a skibidi and why.
She is still very much 12 however, and delights in needling me. Although I believe she may be executing a random search policy, she has found a few approaches that are guaranteed to get a reaction from me. Chief among those is calling me a boomer. After which, the conversation will typically proceed as follows:
Me: “What? What do you think that means?”
Child: “An old person!”
Me: “How old do you think I am? I’m in my late 30s. I’m closer to your age than most boomers. You’re using that word wrong.”
Child: “Ok boomer.”
I don’t know how to make this stop. Pleas halp
posted by 1024 at 10:44 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
Her mom leaves her with me pretty frequently. We usually get boba, and sometimes I take her to Hot Topic, which is like walking into a time capsule. Seriously they’re selling butterfly clips and band shirts silkscreened with The Pixies logo. From a purely anthropological perspective, I’d encourage all of you to take a stroll through a Hot Topic if you haven’t in decades, it’s like their calendar got jammed in the 90s and they just left it there.
Most of the time though, we just talk about feelings. A lot of the adults in her life are having a hard time and have somewhat rosy view of childhood. I remember childhood as being HARD, but on top of what I experienced, it seems like puberty may straight up be happening earlier for her entire cohort, so she gets to deal with all those fun changes to her brain chemistry at an earlier stage of development than I had to. I feel honored that she seems to trust me enough to talk about things that are very real to her, and I’m really happy that we’re able to walk through and process some of that stuff, or sometimes just acknowledge what she’s feeling as valid and feel it for a while. On top of all that, she answers my questions about the definition rizz or what’s a skibidi and why.
She is still very much 12 however, and delights in needling me. Although I believe she may be executing a random search policy, she has found a few approaches that are guaranteed to get a reaction from me. Chief among those is calling me a boomer. After which, the conversation will typically proceed as follows:
Me: “What? What do you think that means?”
Child: “An old person!”
Me: “How old do you think I am? I’m in my late 30s. I’m closer to your age than most boomers. You’re using that word wrong.”
Child: “Ok boomer.”
I don’t know how to make this stop. Pleas halp
posted by 1024 at 10:44 AM on July 29 [7 favorites]
Plant based is so easy, and the smells, the tastes, the balance of flavors are powerful without an animal based protein. Chickpeas, Black Beans, Lentils, obviously Tofu, and even some cheeses like Halloumi, can be used in a meat's stead. The experimentation and rebalancing of dishes, meals, and the like is amazing. Once again, I feel as if American's are lied to by their culture. It is disgusting, and so many other cultures had it figured out millennia ago.
It's not necessarily an American-culture thing, it's more of an economic thing.
I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I eat more plant-based than I used to - and it's largely because of cost. Meat is expensive. And it's always been on the expensive side - even if you were a farmer and raised all your own food, butchering a single chicken for dinner meant you had one less egg-layer, and that makes a dent. Whereas picking an armful of zucchini was fine because you've probably got more on the vine anyway, and the vines over in the north field will be just getting ready to produce when you've cleaned those out. So throughout the world, different cuisines developed where meat was more of a "seasoning" than the Main Event - a little bacon thrown into a bunch of stewed greens, or huge pots of veg-heavy stew where you throw in whatever meat you happen to have even if it's just a couple rabbits. Or meat was saved for Special Occasions.
What changed with the American diet was that a lot of the people who immigrated here went through a huge bump up in income, and it impacted their diets. When they were making nonna's pasta or oma's sauerbrauten from the Old Country, they could afford way more meat than nonna or oma did and said "what the hell, throw in some extra, we're livin' large!" And that's what their kids got used to, and then their grand kids and so on and so on; and that ran up against the big heavy-labor family farmers who were doing a lot of physical work and really needed the protein. The big breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hashbrowns makes sense if you're then going to go spend 10 hours chopping brush with a hand axe.
The problem is that the big breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hashbrowns doesn't make sense if you're a clerk in an office. But the Big Farm Breakfasts and the Prosperous Portions Of Meat had been cemented in people's minds as tradition by the time we started to look at "what do we Americans eat" and "what is an adequate meal?" In the early 20th Century American social scientists started think about both a lot - both as a general looking-after the American populace, and also as a way to make sure immigrants assimilated more properly into the United States. They tracked what we in the country had "always" done and called it good; largely because this kind of thinking was in its infancy, and their data sets were largely "well, lotsa meat helped our country get ahead, and the immigrants who add more meat seem to do a little better, so that must be the way to go." (I am also sure there were some meat-industry lobbyists who had a say in things.)
So it's more like "we didn't know any better" than we were lied to, I'd say. There's a fascinating book by Sallie Tisdale, The Best Thing I Ever Tasted, that's a big (and personal) deep dive into the history of "mealtime" in America and what it's been influenced by and how it's evolved over the years.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:49 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
It's not necessarily an American-culture thing, it's more of an economic thing.
I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I eat more plant-based than I used to - and it's largely because of cost. Meat is expensive. And it's always been on the expensive side - even if you were a farmer and raised all your own food, butchering a single chicken for dinner meant you had one less egg-layer, and that makes a dent. Whereas picking an armful of zucchini was fine because you've probably got more on the vine anyway, and the vines over in the north field will be just getting ready to produce when you've cleaned those out. So throughout the world, different cuisines developed where meat was more of a "seasoning" than the Main Event - a little bacon thrown into a bunch of stewed greens, or huge pots of veg-heavy stew where you throw in whatever meat you happen to have even if it's just a couple rabbits. Or meat was saved for Special Occasions.
What changed with the American diet was that a lot of the people who immigrated here went through a huge bump up in income, and it impacted their diets. When they were making nonna's pasta or oma's sauerbrauten from the Old Country, they could afford way more meat than nonna or oma did and said "what the hell, throw in some extra, we're livin' large!" And that's what their kids got used to, and then their grand kids and so on and so on; and that ran up against the big heavy-labor family farmers who were doing a lot of physical work and really needed the protein. The big breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hashbrowns makes sense if you're then going to go spend 10 hours chopping brush with a hand axe.
The problem is that the big breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hashbrowns doesn't make sense if you're a clerk in an office. But the Big Farm Breakfasts and the Prosperous Portions Of Meat had been cemented in people's minds as tradition by the time we started to look at "what do we Americans eat" and "what is an adequate meal?" In the early 20th Century American social scientists started think about both a lot - both as a general looking-after the American populace, and also as a way to make sure immigrants assimilated more properly into the United States. They tracked what we in the country had "always" done and called it good; largely because this kind of thinking was in its infancy, and their data sets were largely "well, lotsa meat helped our country get ahead, and the immigrants who add more meat seem to do a little better, so that must be the way to go." (I am also sure there were some meat-industry lobbyists who had a say in things.)
So it's more like "we didn't know any better" than we were lied to, I'd say. There's a fascinating book by Sallie Tisdale, The Best Thing I Ever Tasted, that's a big (and personal) deep dive into the history of "mealtime" in America and what it's been influenced by and how it's evolved over the years.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:49 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
Good smells, the best smells: gasoline, those big markers in metal tubes (NOT Sharpies), new car smell, fresh laundry, baking, cooking, lemon-scented cleaning products (but only if it's REAL lemon, not artificial scent), petrichor.
Bad smells, ew, gross: charcoal grilling (when I was pregnant with my son, I was very very sick, all the time. Hyperemesis. The downstairs neighbor grilled with charcoal, constantly. I still get nauseous, 28 years later, when I smell charcoal.), most perfumes (migraine trigger).
posted by cooker girl at 10:49 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Bad smells, ew, gross: charcoal grilling (when I was pregnant with my son, I was very very sick, all the time. Hyperemesis. The downstairs neighbor grilled with charcoal, constantly. I still get nauseous, 28 years later, when I smell charcoal.), most perfumes (migraine trigger).
posted by cooker girl at 10:49 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
I'm so sorry to hear that, jenfullmoon. I am not sure if this is helpful or the exact opposite, but in July I destroyed something extremely expensive and dear to me in a moment of inattention which I will be unable to afford to repair for some time (part of my home, not transportation, so there is less impact on my life) and a friend gave me the following piece of advice when I was still reeling from what I had done. She is one of my best friends, a woman close to 15 years older than me who surpasses me in wisdom as well as years and calls me her little brother. I am lucky to call her big sis, though I may be a foot taller than her. I pinned her advice in my notes app and am copy/pasting it here verbatim:
I know how you feel and this is the best mental move I know for those situations. You can’t lose with this. Ready?
”There are no mistakes. Only lessons. The worse the seeming mistake, the more pressing the lesson.”
And then next:
“I’m so glad this happened, and it was only____because what I learned is____ and now I can prevent it from happening when even more is at stake.”
You gotta force yourself into the form in the beginning, but this will fast track your evolution
posted by 1024 at 10:53 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
I know how you feel and this is the best mental move I know for those situations. You can’t lose with this. Ready?
”There are no mistakes. Only lessons. The worse the seeming mistake, the more pressing the lesson.”
And then next:
“I’m so glad this happened, and it was only____because what I learned is____ and now I can prevent it from happening when even more is at stake.”
You gotta force yourself into the form in the beginning, but this will fast track your evolution
posted by 1024 at 10:53 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
“Fuck Your X Up” = we are going to have a party with the intention to make Party Mistakes(tm). Life-changing, sometimes life-creating Party Mistakes(tm). It helps to italicize or bold (embold?) the “Up” to drive your point home.
“Fuck Up Your X” = whoops / we got into this with the best of intentions. The same cannot be said for Party Mistakes(tm) guy.
posted by Ryvar at 11:01 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
“Fuck Up Your X” = whoops / we got into this with the best of intentions. The same cannot be said for Party Mistakes(tm) guy.
posted by Ryvar at 11:01 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
When I used to live in the southeastern US I'd occasionally get whiffs of what seemed like a grassy smell but with a definite warm-spice component - sort of cinnamon, sort of clove, but not exactly like either (and definitely not "pumpkin pie spice"). Someone once told me that was sweetgrass, but it looks like it doesn't grow in that area of the country, so the mystery remains. I've lived in the Pacific Northwest for 15 years and have never smelled it.
One of my favorite smells is whisky from one of the distillers on the island of Islay on Scotland's west coast. Whenever I open the bottle I get a beautiful noseful of malty sweetness combined with smokiness and sharp briny sea air. I can't get enough of it. Sometimes I don't even have to drink any, just a whiff of it is thrilling enough.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:02 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
One of my favorite smells is whisky from one of the distillers on the island of Islay on Scotland's west coast. Whenever I open the bottle I get a beautiful noseful of malty sweetness combined with smokiness and sharp briny sea air. I can't get enough of it. Sometimes I don't even have to drink any, just a whiff of it is thrilling enough.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:02 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
This Tom Swifty came up in a dream I had last night:
"Oh, so you want a bra fight, do you?" she snapped back.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:03 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
"Oh, so you want a bra fight, do you?" she snapped back.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:03 AM on July 29 [4 favorites]
Thanks, all! Metafilter is a place where one dares ask everything.
posted by Termite at 11:05 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by Termite at 11:05 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Being sunny this forenoon, after two weeks of meh drizzle, (♪ ♫ ♩) one man went to mow. I whooffed up a powerful smell of dried bay leaves (mowing under the bay tree). That madeleined me back 50 years to walking out with my beloved (then and now) and discovering a bay tree growing over the fence of an abandoned Victorian mansion. I think we might have been among the first to cook with bay in bacon-and-cabbage 1970s
Ireland; having been introduced to the concept by Elizabeth David. After many years of trying to grow bay-trees in pots we now have two 100,000-leaf trees 30m from the kitchen. You may call me Rich.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:13 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
Ireland; having been introduced to the concept by Elizabeth David. After many years of trying to grow bay-trees in pots we now have two 100,000-leaf trees 30m from the kitchen. You may call me Rich.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:13 AM on July 29 [5 favorites]
I love it when you walk into a restaurant you have never been to before and the minute the scent of the place hits you, you know you are in for a gooooood meal. We have a Korean place like that here. walked in, sniiiiiif, and looked at each other with big grins. "oh this is gonna be so good" and it was.
also. Black Cardamom is just my favorite smell in general.
posted by supermedusa at 11:23 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
also. Black Cardamom is just my favorite smell in general.
posted by supermedusa at 11:23 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
The smell of a horse that's been eating grass. Bacon and coffee in the morning when you're camping. Absorbine Jr. (my grandma rubbed it on her achy knees.) White Shoulders, because it reminds me of my mum. Slightly different smells of sage and lupine in the morning or in the heat of the Great Basin Desert. The smell of water in the cool of evening around a creek. Lilacs. Locust trees. Snow. Yes, I think snow has a smell. Does anyone else know what snow smells like? Cinnamon rolls.
Bad smells: Moldy hay. A dead mouse. A blown-out match I can ignore, but I hate it when someone (a guy usually) lights a match after they use the bathroom. Why do people do this? Something about the added smell turns stinky into absolutely disgusting!
Ugh, back to something nice. Roses, real roses, the kind you hardly ever smell anymore.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:30 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Bad smells: Moldy hay. A dead mouse. A blown-out match I can ignore, but I hate it when someone (a guy usually) lights a match after they use the bathroom. Why do people do this? Something about the added smell turns stinky into absolutely disgusting!
Ugh, back to something nice. Roses, real roses, the kind you hardly ever smell anymore.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:30 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
BlueHorse I have an heirloom rose bush of unknown provenance in my yard that produces the mostly incredibly beautiful classic roses (of a stunning solid coral) with the most utter classic perfect tea rose aroma. I'm going to try to propagate them. good luck to me!
posted by supermedusa at 11:37 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 11:37 AM on July 29 [3 favorites]
I know how you feel and this is the best mental move I know for those situations. You can’t lose with this. Ready?
”There are no mistakes. Only lessons. The worse the seeming mistake, the more pressing the lesson.”
And then next:
“I’m so glad this happened, and it was only____because what I learned is____ and now I can prevent it from happening when even more is at stake.”
You gotta force yourself into the form in the beginning, but this will fast track your evolution
1024 the advice wasn't for me but this time it's my turn to thank you because those are the words I needed to hear today, having made some big, painful mistakes recently.
posted by Zumbador at 11:42 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
”There are no mistakes. Only lessons. The worse the seeming mistake, the more pressing the lesson.”
And then next:
“I’m so glad this happened, and it was only____because what I learned is____ and now I can prevent it from happening when even more is at stake.”
You gotta force yourself into the form in the beginning, but this will fast track your evolution
1024 the advice wasn't for me but this time it's my turn to thank you because those are the words I needed to hear today, having made some big, painful mistakes recently.
posted by Zumbador at 11:42 AM on July 29 [6 favorites]
Oh, Hawthorne Roses. Lovely blue shade violet color and extraordinary fragrance.
posted by effluvia at 11:44 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
posted by effluvia at 11:44 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
I just remembered, about 10 (!!) years ago I went on a camping trip in the high-desert part of eastern Oregon and was amazed by the pervasive scent of juniper and sage (arty version). Ten freakin' years, dang. I need to go back soon.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:53 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:53 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
There is a sort of apple here, north-eastern Germany, that is very pale, almost white, and well-nigh inedible right off the tree. Something about the sugars.. something something something... they're called "Klarapfel" (and "White Transparent" in English, says google) and we have a tree that this year has produced a bumper crop. I've picked two bushels so far, gave away one and a half and the other half is here, with me on the balcony. The scent is like a hallucination. Glorious. Yet I know that eating one will result in tears. I'll try again and cook a Tart Tatin with some of them. See how that goes...
Also, the sheet-pan school of ratatouille is not to be dismissed - though I always feel like it's too easy.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:54 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Also, the sheet-pan school of ratatouille is not to be dismissed - though I always feel like it's too easy.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:54 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Why is it so hard to find group and seeding information on the badminton and volleyball matches? I don't care about the schedule, I want to see how well each team has done. They don't even tell you if it is group stages or elimination until the quarter-final bouts!
posted by Carillon at 11:56 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by Carillon at 11:56 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Also, the sheet-pan school of ratatouille is not to be dismissed - though I always feel like it's too easy.
Easy = less hassle = more enjoyment = it gets in mah belly faster.
I also use premade pie crust for the same reason. I know that there are kinds of fancy pie crusts I could be making but f you're eating pie, the star is the stuff inside the pie, not the crust, right? (Back in the Middle Ages they didn't even eat the crust, it was more like a bowl than an integral part of the food item.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:59 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Easy = less hassle = more enjoyment = it gets in mah belly faster.
I also use premade pie crust for the same reason. I know that there are kinds of fancy pie crusts I could be making but f you're eating pie, the star is the stuff inside the pie, not the crust, right? (Back in the Middle Ages they didn't even eat the crust, it was more like a bowl than an integral part of the food item.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:59 AM on July 29 [2 favorites]
"How to fuck up your country" or "How to fuck your country up"
they have very different cadences - so the first starts low, emphasis in the middle, ends low
how to FUCK UP your country
the second has two beats
how to FUCK your country UP
might not make much of a difference as a standalone book title, but when used in the body of the text will affect how your sentences flow.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:06 PM on July 29 [4 favorites]
they have very different cadences - so the first starts low, emphasis in the middle, ends low
how to FUCK UP your country
the second has two beats
how to FUCK your country UP
might not make much of a difference as a standalone book title, but when used in the body of the text will affect how your sentences flow.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:06 PM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I grew up with chronic sinus issues that required surgery every 1.5-2 years to correct. My sense of smell was never great, but especially when things were bad enough to require surgery, I couldn't smell anything (much less even breathe through my nose).
Post-surgery (and post gauze removal, which looked not unlike a magician's endless handkerchief trick), invariably the first strong scent I'd notice was urine in the men's room at work.
That's what I think of whenever people talk about smells.
posted by Gorgik at 12:21 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Post-surgery (and post gauze removal, which looked not unlike a magician's endless handkerchief trick), invariably the first strong scent I'd notice was urine in the men's room at work.
That's what I think of whenever people talk about smells.
posted by Gorgik at 12:21 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
The smell of farms along the Mississippi in summertime, driving windows down in the cool right after the long afternoon has turned to twilight.
Makes me nostalgic for the boy I was and wistful about where he went.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 12:43 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Makes me nostalgic for the boy I was and wistful about where he went.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 12:43 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
I love to be able to just walk outside barefoot in summer. It smells like green and soil , cut grass, pine trees. I love coming home to Maine, where pine is a dominant scent. The smell of tomato leaves is quite nice. Sometimes I keep a jar of cardamom on the counter because it's a calming beautiful aroma.
Bad: Mice. Mice ate the wiring and ventilation system in my old Toyota during Covid when I wasn't driving. The smell of mice is vile. Just found mice poop in the newer Toyota, grrr. and in my kitchen, grrrrr. I like the smell of snap traps and peanut butter. Mice cause so much damage.
I've been busy working on campaigns and enjoying the Olympics. The very hot weather is over for now, and I will have to arrange some AC for the future, because it's getting hotter and I don't tolerate it like I used to. But summer in Maine means swimming in lakes and rivers, standing in the ocean, messing about in boats, and not being cold.
I liked the weird Opening Ceremony, mostly. The kerfluffle about a group of people sitting on 1 side of a table, I am beyond annoyed. Xtian Xtremists are a pox.
posted by theora55 at 12:55 PM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Bad: Mice. Mice ate the wiring and ventilation system in my old Toyota during Covid when I wasn't driving. The smell of mice is vile. Just found mice poop in the newer Toyota, grrr. and in my kitchen, grrrrr. I like the smell of snap traps and peanut butter. Mice cause so much damage.
I've been busy working on campaigns and enjoying the Olympics. The very hot weather is over for now, and I will have to arrange some AC for the future, because it's getting hotter and I don't tolerate it like I used to. But summer in Maine means swimming in lakes and rivers, standing in the ocean, messing about in boats, and not being cold.
I liked the weird Opening Ceremony, mostly. The kerfluffle about a group of people sitting on 1 side of a table, I am beyond annoyed. Xtian Xtremists are a pox.
posted by theora55 at 12:55 PM on July 29 [2 favorites]
There is a type of intense perfume cloud I call "mom, when parents are going out to dinner without the kids".
I was riding my motorcycle with a pal a couple years ago and rode through a cloud of that outside a cluster of houses. First time I had smelled it in years. Next stop sign we flipped up our helmets, looked at each other and said in unison "mom's going out!"
The smell of dry, fallen autumn leaves, especially if there is also a hint of wood smoke, takes me vividly back to my childhood in eastern Connecticut. I can remember stopping in Provo, Utah on a road trip and it smelled just like that--I flew back in time 30 years (at that point). We don't really get that smell here on the west side of the Cascades, due to rain also showing up when the leaves fall (plus there is not a preponderance of deciduous trees).
I don't like the smell of cooking if I'm not hungry. Speaking of which, one of the worst smells in the world is that of cooking brussel sprouts.
Some tobacco smokes smell pretty nice in faint concentrations (I don't smoke). I do not miss the "heavy smoker" smell that some people used to have.
posted by maxwelton at 1:02 PM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I was riding my motorcycle with a pal a couple years ago and rode through a cloud of that outside a cluster of houses. First time I had smelled it in years. Next stop sign we flipped up our helmets, looked at each other and said in unison "mom's going out!"
The smell of dry, fallen autumn leaves, especially if there is also a hint of wood smoke, takes me vividly back to my childhood in eastern Connecticut. I can remember stopping in Provo, Utah on a road trip and it smelled just like that--I flew back in time 30 years (at that point). We don't really get that smell here on the west side of the Cascades, due to rain also showing up when the leaves fall (plus there is not a preponderance of deciduous trees).
I don't like the smell of cooking if I'm not hungry. Speaking of which, one of the worst smells in the world is that of cooking brussel sprouts.
Some tobacco smokes smell pretty nice in faint concentrations (I don't smoke). I do not miss the "heavy smoker" smell that some people used to have.
posted by maxwelton at 1:02 PM on July 29 [4 favorites]
I am going to volunteer at the community farm tonight. The tomatoes are coming in, and I take every chance I can get to rub the leaves and smell the scent that shouts "It's summertime, baby!" to me.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:07 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 1:07 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
maxwelton: There is a type of intense perfume cloud I call "mom, when parents are going out to dinner without the kids".
HAHAHAHA yes, this is the actual name of the stuff in the bottle that says "Chanel No. 5" on the outside. I would get a quick kiss from my mom if they would be coming home after my bedtime, and that scent was the one.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:07 PM on July 29 [2 favorites]
HAHAHAHA yes, this is the actual name of the stuff in the bottle that says "Chanel No. 5" on the outside. I would get a quick kiss from my mom if they would be coming home after my bedtime, and that scent was the one.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:07 PM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Incidentally, one of the best things about motorcycling is that it is an olfactory experience on top of its other sensations. Hard to explain why it's so much more intense than, say, being in a convertible traveling the same route, but it is.
posted by maxwelton at 1:13 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 1:13 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
I don't like the smell of cooking if I'm not hungry. Speaking of which, one of the worst smells in the world
...is not fish, but popcorn in the microwave at work.
As for encountering food smells when I'm hungry (or worse, fasting) that's simply torture.
posted by Rash at 1:25 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
...is not fish, but popcorn in the microwave at work.
As for encountering food smells when I'm hungry (or worse, fasting) that's simply torture.
posted by Rash at 1:25 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Worst smell: Dead Mouse In The Wall, because you know it's going to hang around for a solid, gag-inducing week.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:29 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 1:29 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
I can't stand food smells when I'm exercising. No train faster to Nausea City.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:48 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:48 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
...is not fish, but popcorn in the microwave at work.
The smell of burnt popcorn at work is the universal indicator that a new employee was recently hired.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:48 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
The smell of burnt popcorn at work is the universal indicator that a new employee was recently hired.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:48 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
I guess you're a Boomer if your mom wore 4711 instead of Chanel for her dates...
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:49 PM on July 29
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:49 PM on July 29
Long ago, I spent a year abroad in London. I took every chance I got to make the most out of my student visa, hopping on the Eurostar most weekends near King's Cross in the middle of London and enjoying the low-stress ride, emerging hours later in the center of Paris. As I summited the stairs from the platform, I'd catch a glimpse of my sweetheart, usually in a bright, floral print sundress and waiting to meet me at Gare du Nord. We would dash to embrace each other each time, and crowds would stare as we executed a perfect twirl-and-kiss that would flare her skirt when we met each other's arms. We'd traipse along the Seine and eventually make our way back to her rooftop apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 6th, drinking each moment with each other in, happy to be young in a world that felt full of possibilities, feeling romantic, vibrant and alive.
Among her many passions, she was taking a course on fragrances, and we would waft tiny vials of precious aromatics to identify and decompose scents, back before COVID would rob me of that sense and I could still appreciate such delights. We talked about Chanel Nº5, its department-floor-spill debut, and how its aldehyde-forward notes may have been one of the few perceptible fragrances at a time when everyone was smoking.
But at the end of the day, fragrance is an industry, and she let me know that industry measured two things in equal proportion when designing a signature scent: le jus et le flaconnage.
That turned out to be an extensible lesson.
posted by 1024 at 2:16 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Among her many passions, she was taking a course on fragrances, and we would waft tiny vials of precious aromatics to identify and decompose scents, back before COVID would rob me of that sense and I could still appreciate such delights. We talked about Chanel Nº5, its department-floor-spill debut, and how its aldehyde-forward notes may have been one of the few perceptible fragrances at a time when everyone was smoking.
But at the end of the day, fragrance is an industry, and she let me know that industry measured two things in equal proportion when designing a signature scent: le jus et le flaconnage.
That turned out to be an extensible lesson.
posted by 1024 at 2:16 PM on July 29 [3 favorites]
Incidentally, one of the best things about motorcycling is that it is an olfactory experience on top of its other sensations.
Oh man, when I was a much, much younger man, growing up in Kentucky, my girlfriend and I would take my bike out in the gloaming, and run up and down these hills out by Tom Sawyer State Park. You'd be in sunlight for a minute, and the forest smells are blowing up your nose, and then you hit a dip in the road and the temperature would drop like 10 degrees! And you'd get goosebumps! And then rise back up into sunlight and warmth.
Good times.
posted by valkane at 3:47 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Oh man, when I was a much, much younger man, growing up in Kentucky, my girlfriend and I would take my bike out in the gloaming, and run up and down these hills out by Tom Sawyer State Park. You'd be in sunlight for a minute, and the forest smells are blowing up your nose, and then you hit a dip in the road and the temperature would drop like 10 degrees! And you'd get goosebumps! And then rise back up into sunlight and warmth.
Good times.
posted by valkane at 3:47 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
You'd be in sunlight for a minute, and the forest smells are blowing up your nose, and then you hit a dip in the road and the temperature would drop like 10 degrees! And you'd get goosebumps! And then rise back up into sunlight and warmth.
Man, you've just reminded me - on a trip to Yosemite I rented a bike for an hour or so and rode it on the main road looping through the tourist center of the Yosemite Valley. There still some lesser-traveled bits so it wasn't "all tourists all the time" - including one spot where I rode through a grove of Incense Cedar trees. It was summer and a sunny day, and so the heat was bringing the smell out of them stronger than usual - so it smelled like one minute I was tooling along through Yosemite and the next, bam, I was biking through Notre Dame.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:00 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Man, you've just reminded me - on a trip to Yosemite I rented a bike for an hour or so and rode it on the main road looping through the tourist center of the Yosemite Valley. There still some lesser-traveled bits so it wasn't "all tourists all the time" - including one spot where I rode through a grove of Incense Cedar trees. It was summer and a sunny day, and so the heat was bringing the smell out of them stronger than usual - so it smelled like one minute I was tooling along through Yosemite and the next, bam, I was biking through Notre Dame.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:00 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Guess my avocation: musty, moldy wood; oil; ink; solvent (citrasolv, other solvents); old metal; old paper; new paper; "cherry bomb" hand cleaner.
posted by thefool at 4:03 PM on July 29
posted by thefool at 4:03 PM on July 29
Guess my day job: coffee, bacon, doughnut dough, garlic/spices/herbs/other cooking smells.
posted by thefool at 4:05 PM on July 29
posted by thefool at 4:05 PM on July 29
One more: a fond childhood memory: gasoline, rotting fish, brackish water, and the ocean. (Hanging out in the harbor and messing about in boats with my dad and grandfather.)
posted by thefool at 4:06 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
posted by thefool at 4:06 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
I've always had a generally bad sense of smell, but every once in a while a person's perfume or cologne will cut through and hit me very sensually/erotically. Has happened twice to me in the last month or so.
posted by thefool at 4:14 PM on July 29
posted by thefool at 4:14 PM on July 29
The smell of a very old book. Even better - the smell of a used book store.
The smell of a lake. I was in a stream looking for fossils yesterday and raising the pan of rocks to my face to look for things brought that lovely wild water smell.
All of the farm smells. One of my favorite places on earth is my aunt and uncle's farm. The hay in the barn; the cornstalks on a warm summer day; even the smell of cow poop in the barnyard.
The lilacs from the enormous bush outside my childhood home. It stood two stories tall and alllll the scent wafted in through my windows.
That special smell of old cars. I've always been a classic car afficionado, so when I was tailgating before a concert recently, I knew from the smell that something good was parking just a few cars down, lol. (I was right - a gorgeous aqua 1948 Chevy truck)
posted by annieb at 4:28 PM on July 29
The smell of a lake. I was in a stream looking for fossils yesterday and raising the pan of rocks to my face to look for things brought that lovely wild water smell.
All of the farm smells. One of my favorite places on earth is my aunt and uncle's farm. The hay in the barn; the cornstalks on a warm summer day; even the smell of cow poop in the barnyard.
The lilacs from the enormous bush outside my childhood home. It stood two stories tall and alllll the scent wafted in through my windows.
That special smell of old cars. I've always been a classic car afficionado, so when I was tailgating before a concert recently, I knew from the smell that something good was parking just a few cars down, lol. (I was right - a gorgeous aqua 1948 Chevy truck)
posted by annieb at 4:28 PM on July 29
The smell of Douglas Fir needles and blackberry bushes smells like summer.
Leaded gasoline smells like 1980. New gas doesn't smell the same, probably for the better.
posted by fiercekitten at 4:47 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Leaded gasoline smells like 1980. New gas doesn't smell the same, probably for the better.
posted by fiercekitten at 4:47 PM on July 29 [1 favorite]
Throughout much of my life I had chronic congestion and allergy-like symptoms and as a result, I'm not usually all that focused on olfactory sensations but to every rule there can be an exception..
Many years ago (the late 90s if you insist on pinning it down) I had traveled eastward through southern Canada to meet up with a family member who was attending a business meeting in Quebec City. Having traveled that far, once the meeting was over and my family member returned home I decided to extend my trip out to the Maritime Provinces, not knowing when I might be privileged to pass that way again.
Eventually I turned around at the northern tip of Newfoundland and returned home and the trip furnished me with many lasting memories but one, from a day that I was not expecting to be particularly memorable, remains one of the most vivid sensory impressions I can recall.
I had stopped in Fundy National Park in New Brunswick to camp, take a break from driving, and rest for a day or two, and I had decided to spend my leisure day doing an easy coastal hike to a set of scenic sea stacks carved by the bay's notable tides. Sometimes, I suppose, you're just in the right place at the right time under perfect conditions. I could never have planned it and I doubt that another visit would ever reproduce the same conditions but after a leisurely morning in my campsite I set out on this trail and around noon, while searching for a place to stop and take a break, found the perfect location on a big flat rock that sat in the middle of a large clearing in the coastal woods that was overgrown with wild roses that were at peak.
Under other circumstances I think the combination of smells from the light breeze off the sea, the surrounding pine forest, and the perfume of the wild roses might have fought one another but on the July day I stumbled into this particular clearing they were in perfect balance. The breeze was enough to keep the bugs at bay and I lingered much longer than I had planned on that flat sun-warmed slab of rock in the middle of the meadow such that even now, 25+ years later, I still occasionally recall that perfect moment of summer.
posted by Nerd of the North at 6:47 PM on July 29 [2 favorites]
Many years ago (the late 90s if you insist on pinning it down) I had traveled eastward through southern Canada to meet up with a family member who was attending a business meeting in Quebec City. Having traveled that far, once the meeting was over and my family member returned home I decided to extend my trip out to the Maritime Provinces, not knowing when I might be privileged to pass that way again.
Eventually I turned around at the northern tip of Newfoundland and returned home and the trip furnished me with many lasting memories but one, from a day that I was not expecting to be particularly memorable, remains one of the most vivid sensory impressions I can recall.
I had stopped in Fundy National Park in New Brunswick to camp, take a break from driving, and rest for a day or two, and I had decided to spend my leisure day doing an easy coastal hike to a set of scenic sea stacks carved by the bay's notable tides. Sometimes, I suppose, you're just in the right place at the right time under perfect conditions. I could never have planned it and I doubt that another visit would ever reproduce the same conditions but after a leisurely morning in my campsite I set out on this trail and around noon, while searching for a place to stop and take a break, found the perfect location on a big flat rock that sat in the middle of a large clearing in the coastal woods that was overgrown with wild roses that were at peak.
Under other circumstances I think the combination of smells from the light breeze off the sea, the surrounding pine forest, and the perfume of the wild roses might have fought one another but on the July day I stumbled into this particular clearing they were in perfect balance. The breeze was enough to keep the bugs at bay and I lingered much longer than I had planned on that flat sun-warmed slab of rock in the middle of the meadow such that even now, 25+ years later, I still occasionally recall that perfect moment of summer.
posted by Nerd of the North at 6:47 PM on July 29 [2 favorites]
A txt last night to my sister Joy, The Jesus Jumper Trumper, who loves me so much more than I deserve. Attempts to align with god, which I call "Old Timer", the life of the spirit so important to us both yet it's covered in land mines, because I hate fucking bibles because of what happened when we were kids plus I just hate them anyways -- People really think some mope lived in a fish, they really believe it -- I happily rip them to shreds, we have to be Oh So Careful, a dance we've learned over the years because our love is so strong -- when I died from those heart attacks they cried the whole way to Austin as I lay in coma........
~~~~~
Guidance. Direction.
Dad always asked for Guidance and Direction in his prayers around his table. I asked him about it once, and he told me what he meant with each word, Guidance and Direction. Big difference to him in the two words, yet interrelated in his prayer. Woven.
But I can't seem to find in my mind how he laid it out.
Words were important to him.
An unusual man.
I see him in The Lombard years, 9 PM, screens on, Freckles nickering goodnight, maybe a mosquito buzzing, kitchen table, cheap, worn Kmart work shoes and shirt, a crossword puzzle, or an encyclopedia. His amazing hands, huge, tough, strong, capable of anything. None of us got his hands; I think Daniel would have gotten them had he held hammers instead of saxophones.
I didn't know until maybe 20 years ago how beautiful it was to grow up in that home, around that table, hands held every meal, honest, humble prayer. I'd give a hundred dollars -- more -- to have a recording, even just one. I know that David and I would kick one another and stick our tongues out; almost certainly I passed that on to Daniel, though I was mostly gone from the day that I started work.
I learned how beautiful it was from an old friend of mine, who I spoke with one day, a kid named Scott B_____ – you might remember him. He sat dinner at our table with us one time, was awed at the beauty of what was happening, I kicked him, and stuck my tongue out. It seemed the right thing to do I guess, I didn't even remember it, but Scott sure did, and told me about it, and not happily.
Ouch.
Years and years of familial warmth I walked right past, I missed out on the fun, playing those dice games and whatever else, all that laughter and fun, so angry at the bad pieces, not trusting that there would be any good. I was going"Out." Which was drinking and drugging, running with my friends. Even clean and sober I didn't want to be there, went to AA mtgs, went anywhere to keep distance. Went "Out." Only in 2001 on did I find out, in Phoenix doing the commitment jive with Janice Marie did I learn what I'd missed out on, really it wasn't until then that I got to know huge pieces of Mom and Dad, and Janice for sure, some of the best pieces which I could not see, would not maybe...
I go on.
Did you ask Dad ever about Guidance and Direction? Do you remember his answer? It was/is really good, simple yet powerful. I'd guess Humble, that probably is the word.
I hope you are all well, enjoying Illinois summer corn and oh my god the tomatoes and then the cucumbers and onions; Rita does this simple cucumber / onion / vinegar thing that makes me happy to even think about, probably you make it also. Unreal good stuff. Unless/until you leave you can't imagine the absence of fresh summer midwest food. Mostly even just the *thought* of Illinois gets me all frowny and gaseous and arm-wavey and unhappy; I have to think of Illinois summers, and fresh Illinois summer food if I want any respite from the loathing and contempt and anger and hatred and blah blah blah blah blah which rises if I so much as see a map that goes north of Texarkana....
Guidance. Direction. Anything?
I love you, Joy Belle.
Your brother, in Austin
Stephen
posted by dancestoblue at 6:56 PM on July 29
~~~~~
Guidance. Direction.
Dad always asked for Guidance and Direction in his prayers around his table. I asked him about it once, and he told me what he meant with each word, Guidance and Direction. Big difference to him in the two words, yet interrelated in his prayer. Woven.
But I can't seem to find in my mind how he laid it out.
Words were important to him.
An unusual man.
I see him in The Lombard years, 9 PM, screens on, Freckles nickering goodnight, maybe a mosquito buzzing, kitchen table, cheap, worn Kmart work shoes and shirt, a crossword puzzle, or an encyclopedia. His amazing hands, huge, tough, strong, capable of anything. None of us got his hands; I think Daniel would have gotten them had he held hammers instead of saxophones.
I didn't know until maybe 20 years ago how beautiful it was to grow up in that home, around that table, hands held every meal, honest, humble prayer. I'd give a hundred dollars -- more -- to have a recording, even just one. I know that David and I would kick one another and stick our tongues out; almost certainly I passed that on to Daniel, though I was mostly gone from the day that I started work.
I learned how beautiful it was from an old friend of mine, who I spoke with one day, a kid named Scott B_____ – you might remember him. He sat dinner at our table with us one time, was awed at the beauty of what was happening, I kicked him, and stuck my tongue out. It seemed the right thing to do I guess, I didn't even remember it, but Scott sure did, and told me about it, and not happily.
Ouch.
Years and years of familial warmth I walked right past, I missed out on the fun, playing those dice games and whatever else, all that laughter and fun, so angry at the bad pieces, not trusting that there would be any good. I was going"Out." Which was drinking and drugging, running with my friends. Even clean and sober I didn't want to be there, went to AA mtgs, went anywhere to keep distance. Went "Out." Only in 2001 on did I find out, in Phoenix doing the commitment jive with Janice Marie did I learn what I'd missed out on, really it wasn't until then that I got to know huge pieces of Mom and Dad, and Janice for sure, some of the best pieces which I could not see, would not maybe...
I go on.
Did you ask Dad ever about Guidance and Direction? Do you remember his answer? It was/is really good, simple yet powerful. I'd guess Humble, that probably is the word.
I hope you are all well, enjoying Illinois summer corn and oh my god the tomatoes and then the cucumbers and onions; Rita does this simple cucumber / onion / vinegar thing that makes me happy to even think about, probably you make it also. Unreal good stuff. Unless/until you leave you can't imagine the absence of fresh summer midwest food. Mostly even just the *thought* of Illinois gets me all frowny and gaseous and arm-wavey and unhappy; I have to think of Illinois summers, and fresh Illinois summer food if I want any respite from the loathing and contempt and anger and hatred and blah blah blah blah blah which rises if I so much as see a map that goes north of Texarkana....
Guidance. Direction. Anything?
I love you, Joy Belle.
Your brother, in Austin
Stephen
posted by dancestoblue at 6:56 PM on July 29
« Older How the Sports Bra kicked off a women’s sports... | You know what’s grinding? A crisis. Newer »
- The smell of the sinkhole/swamp near my house that I used to cut through when walking to elementary school in Florida. An odd mix of muck and trees and dead water moccasins mixed in air thick with sweat.
- My gram's library - she and my gramps retired to a tiny village in the White Mountain region of NH. Until just before she succumbed to dementia, she ran the village's two room library in an old wooden red building. The smell was a mix of old high acid paper and book bindings, wet damp wood in the entrance from a century of snow melt and that hot resin smell of an old wood building with a draft combated by a hot stove. I spent so many hours in that little building reading piles of Bobbsey Twins and Hardy Boys in addition to other books.
posted by drewbage1847 at 12:17 AM on July 29 [10 favorites]