Your nose knows

Posted on August 26th, 2010 by admin

Remember getting a whiff of freshly mowed grass without the cloud of smoke and the noxious odor of gas fumes? Or the aroma of sweet goods in the oven when walking into the local bakery? How about the fragrance of Old Spice filling the bathroom when dad finished shaving? If you do, chances are you’re a pre-boomer, born between 1930 and 1945. Because these were the smells of your life.

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There are so many good memories connected with the things we smelled. The best ones were in the kitchen. Coffee brewing, eggs and bacon frying, bread being toasted on a wintery morning made getting out of the snug, comfortable bed worthwhile. At lunchtime I could tell what soup we were having when I walked in the back door. My favorite was Campbell’s tomato, and it still is.

Oft times, the aroma of a roast or other wonderful dish cooking in the oven wafted into the back yard were I was playing. I could hardly wait for mom to call me in for dinner. And, of course, there were the festive smells of Thanksgiving dinner and the cookies baking for Christmas, which was enhanced by the strong fragrance of a blue spruce in the corner of the living room.

In the bathtub was a bar of Lifebouy soap that had a distinct smell, so after using it everyone knew you had just taken a bath. Down in the basement, by the laundry tub, was a brown bar of Fels-Naptha soap that had a particularly pungent odor. Mom used it to scrub out stains, and it came in handy as a treatment for poison ivy as well. On the shelf were boxes of Rinso for the heavy wash and Ivory Snow for gentler things. These were granulated soaps and had a pleasant, clean fragrance unlike today’s harsh detergents.

I can recall one uncle smoked a pipe and the tobacco was aromatic. The brand name was Holiday; and, in my mind’s eye, I can still see the ship on the label steaming off for some exotic far away place.

Every time we drove over to the Jersey Shore from Philadelphia, I knew we were getting close when the stagnant stench of the backwater marshes crept into the car through the open windows. Then the bay, with its distinct odor, signaled the causeway was near. And once on the isle of Ocean City the fresh, sharp bite of the salt air indicated we had reached our destination, at last.

There were so many other enjoyable smells. Take restaurants, for instance. The seafood places always reminded me of French fries, because the popular priced ones served fried fish and fried everything else. I still love those fried seafood dinners but try to stay away from them these days. Italian restaurants smelled like my neighbor’s house, and steak places reminded me more of my house. Chinese restaurants had their own unique smell and didn’t remind me of anyone’s home. It was all good, and there was so much more.

Do you have smells you liked from your childhood? If so, please share them with us.