Read Linda Barry's "Common Scents" (Presence page 445) and write a 200-word note in which you recall the smell of someone else's house. Was it good, bad? What made it good or bad?
You can read "Common Scents" in color at Salon.com.
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This comic was mostly educational in the fact that its trying to describe the link between various smells and how they mean different things to everyone. For example I have one friend who’s room smells like vanilla, and for some reason that smell relaxes me like nothing else can; she cant even smell it. While their have also been other times when a smell that doesn’t even smell bad, can be completely repulsive in my opinion. Like cinamon for instance, for some reason whenever I go somewhere or near someone that smells like cinamon I cant think straight. Ive never figured out why but that smell just doesn’t register anything good in my mind. It would make sense if memories could be linked to smells, because the reason vanilla always makes me feel relaxed probably has something to do with the fact it was the scent of the perfume my ex girlfriend wore.The other point I think the comic was trying to make was that people who are around these smells on a regular basis have a hard time smelling them. Which makes sense because if your around it regularly your sense of smell will just adapt after a while. The article was good in the fact that it talked about a subject that often goes unoticed, but definitely has some tangibility.
ReplyDeleteI have really only had one noticeable time where I have smelt someone else’s house and that was a few years ago when my family and I were invited over for a New Year’s Eve dinner. As we walked up the stairs to their apartment it was like a wall of heat and spice rushing up my nose and into my lungs. They were like the kings of spice and their food was amazing but it took me a while to finish because I was drinking so much water. My parents’ friends were from Guiana and they were use to eating hot food; they probably did this every night. After staying a while though the spice seemed to settle down and before long I couldn’t even smell it any more. For some weird reason this happens quite a bit. After dinner we said our good buys and stepped outside noticing that the air was really cold and fresh.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of smells at someone’s house the only thing that comes to mind is my friend’s house. They own 5 shitzu’s and they are not the cleanest dogs in the world. The moment you walk into the house it smells like wet, musty dog fur. It overwhelms every other sense in your body and hits you like a ton of bricks. Well one day I went to their house and they had just finished cleaning their dogs and all of the furniture and the fact that the house’s scent could change so drastically was amazing. I can only ever think about that smell when I walk into their again smelly house and how I don’t understand why they wouldn’t keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteMy friends dads house had a distinct smell to it because he lived on a farm. You could smell the manure and right when you drove into the area you could smell farm. They also have two dogs and that is noticable. Even when my friend went to school you could smell the farm scent on him. When i helped him put all the cows in years ago it was a very distinct smell. You could smell the farm animals basically anywhere you went. I dont know if i would categorize it as a smelly house but it did have a distinct scent to it. It was quite a difference going to his moms house and seeing the difference in smell. When you walked into the barn you could smell the hay, cows and all that distinct farm smell. It was their lifestyle and was definitly a lot different then my house. The smell didnt seem to bother him because he was so used to it but the smell of the house was so unique that he just got accustomed to dealing with it and choosing the lifestyle of living on a farm. Overall the house scent would appear different to many people, ones that are used of a farm and ones that arent. Overall the house was unique for people who arent used to being in a farm atmosphere
ReplyDeleteMy friend Meryl’s house had the smell of cedar wood. She lives in a newer, medium sized home in a rural area of Rhode Island. The family used to bring in wood they kept in a shed, into a wood burning stove to heat their home. I really liked the smell of their home. It made it feel more homey and cozy. It might be because it reminds me of the trailer my family used to own up in New Hampshire. In the trailer we also used a wood stove to heat the close-knit trailer that I spent many winter weekends at while growing up. I also liked the smell because it reminds me of nature and the outside. I love the environment and once again the smell made me feel comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are so many reasons that the smells of peoples’ houses stick into our minds. I agree with the comic in the terms that I never thought my house smelled until I was gone for a while and you come back and you can just tell it’s your house. My house smells like wood fire among other things. I miss the smell of my house. I also think that almost everyone has smelt that cat smell in someone’s house because there is always at least one of them around you or in your city. I think that I remember my best friend’s house the best. I don’t know exactly what it smelt like though. It was a mix of perfume, cleaning stuff, food, and I’m not sure what else, but it was always a good smell. I also remember the smell of my Grandma’s house before she passed away. Her house always smelled amazing but it was because she was always cooking. It either smelt like apple pie, applesauce or these cinnamon bread roll up things that we used to make together. I think that is the one thing I will always remember about her and her house. It always smelt amazing. -Rachel Hicks
ReplyDeleteMy best friend’s house always had a slightly stale smell to it. Not the bad kind of stale, but the smell of an aged building. She lives in an older house, and her room is upstairs by the attic, so there is always that slight hint of must floating through the air when we retreat to her room. It also smelled like her mother’s delicious home cooked meals, that were always ready at six o’clock on the dot.
ReplyDeleteIt may not have been a particularly appealing smell, but for some reason, whenever walked in the front door and smelled it, I felt at home. It had a calming effect on me, which does not really have a logical explanation. Perhaps it was all the memories and feelings that went along with that house and that smell; the whole atmosphere was very soothing to me. It was like my home away from home.
Smells are attached to memories. It is really funny that I can be in the middle of the hall walking among a crowd of people and all of a sudden, smell a wiff of cologne or some food/ drink someone is carrying and suddenly I find myself transported back to a kitchen or a holiday. Like today for instance, I was in the hornets’ nest getting a drink when a guy I have never met before walked past me. He smelled like campfire smoke, and it made me smile. Why? Well because it brought back memories of a summer many years ago, where I went to the beach with my friends, we had a bon fire and camped out on the beach that night, just my friends and I. So many good memories came from that night and all of them were brought back by this random chance encounter in the snack bar. It’s kind of scary how a small whiff of something can trigger a memory. I was walking outside a few nights ago and I smelled the slightest hint of pine and cinnamon. It reminded me of my grandparent’s house around the holidays. See, my grandparents have this room that is only used at Christmas; the decorations (including the tree) stay up all year long. It smells like many years of Christmas in that room. Walking in there you can almost taste the eggnog and hear the laughter. The conversations around the fire and the general warmth of all the family together for one short day, you can feel all of it and more, even if it’s the middle of May. All because of a smell.
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