Ah, Yes, I Know That Smell

The nose seems to never forget. Sure, you’ve got the obvious smells like chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, cigar smoke, or a barbecue. My favorite smells are the ones that return me, even if only temporarily, to a prior event or period of my life.


Example 1: Mint

I’m not talking mint as in mint chocolate chip ice cream. Not a York Peppermint Patty, spearmint, nor the mint liquor of a mint julep. I’m talking the actual mint leaves rubbed together. Mint.

The olfactory stimulation brings me back to the late 1970s. I had a friend who lived two doors down. We’ll call him Wickman. We were in our early teens and occasionally played football with my two older brothers in his backyard. They had mint plants adjacent to the grass, the playing field. The ball carrier, when tackled, often landed in the mint and would roll around in it as a result of the collision.

By end of the game we’d smell fresh as a field of mint. The green stains, however, were not as welcome, I’m sure. Sorry about the mint stains, mom.


Example 2: Tomato Plants

I’m not talking about tomatoes, tomato sauce, or a tomato-fennel relish. Actual tomato plant leaves rubbed together.

A nostril or two stuffed with such a welcome waft brings me to my younger years. Grandma and Grandpa Tedesco both hailed from the old country, Italy in the north. Dating as far as my mental archive can go, they had tomatoes growing in the back yard which were implemented in making their own sauce. It seems every year gramps would rip out a few square feet of lawn to squeeze in another few tomato plants. The smell of a tomato plant leaf brings me back to that back yard.


Mint and tomato plants. Good smells. Good memories.
-klem