Smells and Bells

As an English major, one would expect me to be used to Freud by now. Even after all these years of Freudian readings, it is still daunting to see his sex obsession here, in the pages of Diane Ackerman’s book. As she discusses scent, it is nearly impossible for her to sever it from sex. Every other page seems to forge a new link between the two. Scent helps us to identify our ideal mates. The names of strong-smelling animals are nicknames for sex workers, or, vice-versa, nicknames for sex workers are given to strong-smelling animals. A perfumer fantasizes about creating a perfume that would make a woman entirely irresistible to men, suggesting that scent, particularly towards potential sexual partners, has truly frightening levels of control over the human mind. None of these things can be totally denied. People often wear perfume in order to heighten their sex appeal. it still has an isolating effect. As an asexual person, I can’t draw those same connections in my own mind. I can’t nec...

  When I watch the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show (which, admittedly isn't that often, but when such an occasion occurs, for example, when my housemates or friends watch it) I can practically sniff the ingredients through the screen. I've always been good at picking apart ingredients just through my nose, though no one should ever dare test me on that. When I walk into a Subway or any deli, I melt. No, it's not the roast beef or meatballs, it's the smell of Italian Herb & Cheese bread. Italian seasoning, with its oregano, basil and thyme; they're all very distinct scents that have always stood out to me, along with baked bread in general, which leads to no surprise that one of my favorite places to exist in is When Pigs Fly. There are so many loaves of bread. So many oils and jams. I could pick apart the herbs in a focaccia, and one particular scent that I can always identify is rosemary. I have at least two people that can fact-check me on this, that have b...