I have this smell that I seem to always have in my nose and mouth. It’s not pleasant, per se, but neither is it awful. I get used to it. Depending on the place I’m in and the sort of air around me and my stress level, it is stronger or weaker. At first, I thought it was the taste and smell of my prescription. It has that sort of odd chalky bitterness to it. But that didn’t seem to quite get it. Today it came to me. It reminds of the smell of a bit of memory. One time my mom and I were making our usual coffee cakes, and something just seemed off about it. When we took them out, they smelled way different than normal. We smelled everything we could to figure it out, and it finally came to us. The graham crackers we had used had turned rancid in their cardboard containers. We threw the lot away, obviously, but that smell… Ugh, that was awful.
So yeah, this kind of smells like that. But it’s not nearly that bad. Still, it’s nice to tie it to something. Maybe my brain is turning rancid and that is why I smell and taste it. That would be unfortunate. I had hoped my brain would smell better than that.
Maybe it does. Every brain I’ve ever smelled just smells like formaldehyde, so that doesn’t count.
ANYWAY…
I’ve been curious as to what I can and cannot taste like this. But I’m hesitant to make meals or buy many groceries just to try things. What if I don’t like it and don’t want to eat it and it all goes to waste? So I have been trying things here and there, and can give you a pretty good run-down of the fast food options in Morgantown when you can’t smell and taste is way off. Here you go:
- Arby’s: roast beef sandwiches have a meaty hint, but it’s more textural than flavor. Curly fries don’t have a strong enough flavor to present themselves to me. Milkshakes are almost as good by texture as they are by taste, so that was fun to know.
- Wendy’s: Excellent fries. No doubt due to their saltiness, but they were also crisp and had the teeniest bit of crunch. Not like a burned crisp or crunch, but just not overcooked. Burgers weren’t much to discuss, but the Frosty’s were just as good without flavor.
- Chick-fil-a: Sorry to say it, but neither the chicken nor the fries had a flavor strong enough to pick up. The fruit cup was the only thing I could taste.
- Burger King: So-so, all told. Nothing too spectacular.
- McDonald’s: Shockingly enough, this place had the only burgers that had any taste at all. No doubt it’s because of the sheer amount of sodium in them, but I’m not going to complain about that now. Fries weren’t much to write home about, and the shake was too thin to be particularly enjoyable.
- Subway: Given the tastelessness of lettuce, I can’t even bear the texture these days, and the bread overwhelms the subtle sandwich flavors. However – they have a new thing. The Flatizza. A flatbread pizza. And I’ve wondered about pizza lately. I knew I could get a hint of marinara, thanks to the flavors and acidity, but pizza? Thankfully, thanks to the sheer amount of veggies I put on mine, it was quite good. What it tasted like, I don’t know. But it was close.
- Sonic: This was today’s adventure. I got the Chicago style hot dog, and there was a lot of texture there. Salt from the hot dog, pickle, mustard, etc. Bite from the relish and the onions, and the mustard. It was great. The tater tots were so-so. Warm and buttery, but not much flavor. Still, there was something.
Still have a few other places to try, so stay tuned.
I’ve been asked if my nose is still sensitive like regular noses are. I’d have to say yes. I think I can detect changes in the air, but flavors or actual sense of it, I can’t pick up. I still get runny noses. I get sinus headaches [which is sooooo weird when you can’t smell, though I can’t tell why]. When the weather changed, I got a stuffy nose and achy sinuses, just like I used to and just like regular people. But on the flip side, I can’t tell when there is a powerful scent in the air, no matter what it is. I've missed dry erase markers, alcohol, fresh paint, and chlorine. I have yet to smell warm, fresh food no matter what it is. I missed the smell of bleach at work today. Had no idea the air was anything except that bitter chalky taste I have all the time.
So…. I don’t know? We’ll call it To Be Determined.
Also. A friend asked me for my opinion on this article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/03/20/291954994/never-mind-eyesight-your-nose-knows-much-more
Go on and read it. It's really cool, actually. Go ahead. I'll wait.
I found this very interesting, especially considering how I now experience things. I will acknowledge that there is a lot more to smell than anyone knows who has not gone without it. It certainly is the most unknown of the senses, and we severely underestimate it. But I can’t say anything against sight, having never had to go without it. Being without smell has started to sharpen my other senses, at least in my mind, so I think I see more. Not better, per se, but I am paying more attention. I focus more and see things that I didn’t before. But I think we do see them, we just do not acknowledge that we see them.
I know I didn’t really give an opinion. But who am I to say that smell is greater than sight? Ask a blind man what they think, and they might say smell has shown them more than they thought, but they miss their sight. Ask someone with anosmia what they think, and they might say there is more to the world than smell, but they miss smell all the same.
I miss smelling. But it’s not the end of the world. Far, far from it. On the contrary, the world is all-new to me. I would not wish anyone to see the world while missing one of the senses we were given to experience it. But in doing so myself, I find that I appreciate everything more.
Could it be worse? Absolutely it could. Could it be better? Sure. But what is wrong with appreciating the world more? Seeing the world differently? Discovering just how beautiful the world and life is, and the magic – the miracle – that it is to have what we do, and to experience it the way we do?
That is pretty dang amazing, if you think about it. When you understand that--really understand--it's even more amazing.
High: I’m going with pizza. That was the closest I’ve come to normal yet.
Low: “The smell” has been really strong in the last few days. Everything takes on its flavor in one form or another. And it gives me a headache. I’d like to wash my mouth and nose and sinuses with Listerine, but I’m not that stupid. Here’s hoping it fades. Or I get used to it. One way or the other, I'd be content.
High: Apparently the garbage that collects at the end of our hall [since we’re so far from the dumpster] has been really rank lately. Didn’t know I was living in a stink hole, so I’ve been thinking home was just as pleasant as ever. Amazing how perception changes one’s view…
I’ve been told by a friend and supervisor to try essential oils, to see if I can smell any of those. I have no experience with those or anything like them. Anyone else think it might make a difference? Granted, he’s no expert or scientist. Just a fellow worker in health and manual therapy, and we share an interest in the power of aromatherapy. But it was an interesting idea.
I wonder if they’ve made anything that smells like cooking bacon….
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