Sticky Smells (Dr. Rachel Herz Lecture)

By Anonymous -
Dr. Rachel Herz' lecture today was very, very interesting and made me understand in a relatable way the cognitive components of smell. Some of the key components I found interesting were:

  • The idea that "smells stick to things" - that makes so much sense! I had never realized that the smell molecules do actually stick to physical objects. We can't really say the same thing about the other senses which is really what makes smell so unique.
  • -The "tip of the nose" phenomena, which I didn't know was a thing that existed beyond my own mind. I always get so frustrated when I smell something and can't put my finger on what it reminds me of, or what the scent is. 
  • I never really thought about, either, the fact that wean't smell oxygen, helium, methane or anything that makes up the air we breathe. Rather, according to Dr. Herz, we can smell things that are carried in the air we breathe.
  • I am also interested in the relationship between olfaction and emotion, and how certain smells trigger memories. I remember smelling a specific kind of perfume and associating it with my grandmother, or cigar smoke which reminds me of my grandfather. Must reminds me of libraries and basements. 

Lastly, I also really liked the discussion about taste versus flavor. I had no idea about the reasoning behind the relationship between smell and taste, and how important smell is to taste. So tasting chocolate isn't a taste, but an experience which combines smell and flavor.



I can't imagine being without a sense of smell. When I lose it briefly when I have a cold, it's bad enough when I can't taste the chicken soup my mother makes me. Not having it at all would really be a struggle mentally, socially, and emotionally as Dr. Herz pointed out in the final section of her lecture.

So smells are, indeed, "sticky," in that they not only stick to physical things but also to how we define ourselves and the world around us. They really do affect is in more ways than I even thought possible, which is why I found the lecture so enriching.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amidst the Pandemic

By -
Image
I think having the opportunity to take Smells and Bells and then experiencing a worldwide pandemic came with good timing. Oftentimes, we’re so rushed to get from one one place to another that we miss out on what happens around us. We’re so accustomed to the lifestyle of being busy that it has become the norm for many of us. However, the pandemic has forced us to slow down. We’re now appreciating everything that we had previously taken for granted and noticing things in our surroundings that we have never noticed before.  Take this quarantining/social distancing as an opportunity to be more aware of what you experience through the senses. I don’t think my senses have necessarily heightened over the past 5 weeks, but I am actively making the choice to pay more attention to what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I like going on nature/mindfulness walks and basking in the sunshine out in my backyard. This morning, I could hear a faint noise from the wind, hear the birds chirpin...
Read more

Food in the Afterlife

By -
Image
In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Perez talks of Ashabi and her grandchildren providing food offerings to their ancestors. This immediately reminded me of the practice of food sacrifice in early China. I've taken Chinese language classes for about 7 years now and in one of the lessons, we learned about food as well as the history of food in Chinese culture. Ashabi and her grandchildren would give food offerings to their ancestors every day. This included nine beverages (coffee, liquor, and water mixed with sugar and molasses) and nine square pieces of coconut topped with red palm oil and guinea pepper. The offerings would also include whatever food was dropped on the ground. In their house, food dropping on the floor signified more than it would in common American households. It signified that the ancestors wanted that food and had willingly made it fall to the floor. They also used dishware that had been chipped which was...
Read more