I’ve always been extremely sensitive to smells.
- When I was walk the dog and someone is grilling, the smell of charcoal would remind me of Fourth of July picnics and cookouts from my childhood.
- The exhaust fan from an Italian restaurant blowing out wafts of garlic, onion and aromatic sauces triggers warm memories of date nights with my wife over the past 30 years.
- A neighbor’s dinner roast triggers a flood of holiday memories and Sunday dinners from my childhood.
Good stuff- good memories.
Since I began eating a the carnivore diet, I’ve started having smell memories triggered by nothing at all.
I’ll be exercising in the garage when out of nowhere I “smell” freshly baked bread and remember all those wonderful mornings eating breakfast with my Aunt Esther when I was a kid.
I’ll be swimming laps when suddenly I smell ice cream and remember trips to Dairy Delight wt my friends in high school.
And pizza smells have burned a permanent place in my head. Greasy grills, drippy cheese and baking dough bring on memories of my pizza delivery days, dates with my high school sweetheart and even memories of watching the man at Grande Pizza throwing dough in the air as he tossed pizza for me back in the early 1970s.
I suppose I might be craving these foods since I no longer eat them.
I could “give in” and get any of them at any time I wanted.
But I don’t crave the food. I crave the experiences that went with the smells.
As society opens back up post-Covid I hope to make new memories.
Until then, Smemories are the next best thing.