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| Mmmmm. Peanut tea. Credit: Eric Christopher Perry |
I am a sensualist, there is no doubt. The luxuries of sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell are wondrous avenues to living a rich life, independent of one's material wealth.
Consider the sense of smell. So many nouns to describe the nuances of this gift.
- Smell
- Fragrance
- Aroma
- Odor
- Stench
- Scent
- Stink
- Perfume
- Bouquet
- Musk
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| A twist of herb. Yerevan, Armenia. March 2012. |
So many ways to describe the character of a smell:
- Spicy
- Floral
- Citrusy
- Tangy
- Sweet
- Sour
- Musky
- Crisp
- Clean
- Pungent
- Light
- Sharp
- Fishy
- Metallic
- Herbal
- Earthy
- Moldy
- Musty
- Buttery
- Nutty
- Rotting
- Barnyard
- Minty
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| Spice Market, Istanbul. June 2012. |
A couple of years ago, when I attended the Crawfish Etoufee Cook-Off in Eunice, I experienced the discordant but compelling aromas of sweet cinnamon rolls competing for air with spicy crawfish boils.
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| Spicy crawfish. Crawfish Etoufee Cook-Off. Eunice, Louisiana. March 2014. |
In 2012, a drive through Derry, New Mexico, introduced me to the heady scent of roasting peppers in October.
In 2011, in Awassa, Ethiopia, the odor of giant storks nesting in the branches above me was so outrageously pungent as to make me laugh in appalled admiration.
But getting back to Colorado. One day, I visited the Celestial Seasonings plant outside of Boulder.
A good tour, and I recommend it. No pics allowed in the plant, therefore I have none to show.
The most memorable take-aways for me:
Walking through waves of scent. An aroma bath. Breathing deeply to pull in those biological perfumes. Sheer sensual pleasure.
The mint room. It's in its own room because mint's perfume is so sharp, so pungent, that it invades all other fragrances in its wave. Some visitors cannot even stay in this room for longer than a few seconds because they are overcome by its power.
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| Spice Market, Istanbul. June 2012. |
Breathe in. Mmmmm.
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