Wednesday 21 July 2010

Smells


This fellow was taken in Fowey when we were there in March and, as we all know, has a quick eye for any bits of grub going.

One of my favourite cold weather lunches is something I had in the States years ago - tuna topped with grated cheese on toast (apparently this is called Tuna Melt). It's easy to assemble, pop in the microwave and hey presto. (I say microwave rather than grill because we don't have a grill on our oven. Or if we do, it doesn't work. Another on the list of jobs for Himself.)

That smell of hot, stringy cheese always takes me back to many years ago when, for some reason, we were all at an Italian eatery in South Kensington. I must have been about 11 or 12 and so my brothers would have been 9 and 6 or thereabouts. Why we were there I can't think, as we lived in a small seaside town in Devon at the time. But I digress.

Dad took us to this Italian place which was in itself a novelty. Devon boasted fish and chip shops but we only ever had those for a special treat – like if the fair was in. We never ate out, let alone at a place with people who spoke a funny language.

But I can still remember the smell of that hot, stringy cheese on top of my pizza. The underlying, exotic whiff of what was probably oregano and who knows what other herbs. I can almost feel my teeth sink into the lovely chewy crust as my tongue burnt with the heat from the cheese. Feel that squidgyness as the tomato hit the back of my mouth. And watch in amazement as, forkful after forkful, that mozarella stretched in splendid yellow cords, like a tasty spider's web.

I don't even like pizza now – I find it too stodgy – but the memory of my first one will stay with me forever and always makes my mouth water. And that got me thinking of how much we take our senses for granted. Dogs have a sense of smell apparently 40 times as strong as ours. No wonder they get excited whenever food appears.

So I thought I'd see what I can smell now. Here goes while I sniff.

The musty scent of my rooibosh tea cooling next to me.
A faint waft of Persil from my fingers – I've just hung the washing outside.
The unmistakeable smell of wet dog – Mollie still hasn't dried out from her walk earlier when the grass was wet with rain.

What can you smell?

24 comments:

Vermont Designs said...

Bee balm added to the flower arrangements; Andrew's coffee; something nasty in the kitty litter box (and air freshener spray to counteract it); fresh mint on the counter to add to new potatoes & carrots tonight. love, SIL.

Chris Stovell said...

Lovely post, Fp - wonderful picture of you and your family in that restaurant. I did laugh at the mention of redbush tea - I went through a phase of drinking it at work, until colleagues complained and I got banned from taking it into small meeting rooms! At this moment I can smell coffee... but I would quite like to smell food!

Flowerpot said...

Shelagh - I love the idea of bee balm and fresh mint - yum!

Flowerpot said...

Chris - unfortunately roobish tea is the only one I can drink now! Well, there are those herbal ones but I've never really got on with those. At lesat working from home I don't offend colleagues!

Talli Roland said...

Tuna melt - YUM! You have now made me crave that - I'm starving. All I can smell now is tuna and cheese...

Flowerpot said...

Talli - it's very tempting isn't it?!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

I love Tuna Melt, but right now I can smell smoke as Rob is burning lawn cuttings etc in the incinerator, so everything is smokey.

Unknown said...

Great post. I can smell coffee and damp air conditioning...

lx

Flowerpot said...

Debs - hope nothing catches fire!

Liz - what does damp air con smell like?

Akelamalu said...

I have a very sensitive nose in fact MWM says I have a permanent smell up it! LOL

Flowerpot said...

Nothing wrong with a sensitive nose!!

Ellee Seymour said...

I smell dampness in the air now after the overnight rainful. I love smells too. My favourite is arriving at a Greek island and smelling the food being chargrilled, the distinctive pine needles, and listening to Greek music in the distance. Heaven.

Flowerpot said...

Ellee - oh yes those are wonderful smells - pine needs particularly.

Becky said...

I can smell chicken stew, and my tum is rumbling in anticipation. My fave smell is summer rain. Tuna melt sounds good. Have you tried prawns in tomatoes springled with cheese and baked, with chopped peppers ..?

Amanda said...

I can smell my Molly - time for her bath methinks! :-))

I actually went off pizza a while back, but of late I've been getting the really thin ones and enjoying them again.

Have a good weekend.

Flowerpot said...

My stomach's rumbling too at the idea of chicken stew. I love the idea of those prawns - will def try that thanks!

Colette McCormick said...

Great post Sue.
What can I smell? Not a lot really, it's very early on Sunday morning and everyone (including the dog) is still in bed, hang on a sec though I do believe I can smell coffee. Yep its definitley coffee. Where's mine?
Loving the sound of that tuna melt BTW - I'm going to try that.

Flowerpot said...

Colette - coffee is such a good smell. Even though I had to give upn drinking it years ago I still love the smell ofthose grounds!

Flowerpot said...

Mandy - I might try those thin ones, that's a good idea.

Grump said...

Tuna melt, now my grill has busted too. So in the microwave? Do you put the bread in with tuna and cheese, or do you toast the bread first? Some one mentioned smells. A small pine/cedar wood on our way down to the Italian beach, when we were kids. On the beach a man would come along with a type of doughnut that you could smell along side his coffees. He rang a bell to let us know he was coming, we didn't need the bell we were there in flash for the pastries. Yum.
Big Woof to Molls. x

Flowerpot said...

Hi Grump good to hear from you again. I toast the bread first then put the tuna and cheese on top and whack in microwave (doesnt' need long). the bread can go a bit soggy if you leave it in there for too long though! Love the smells of the pine woods and the doughnuts.... yum..

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MarmiteToasty said...

I can smell hot courgette and walnut cake baking in the oven....

I loved Fowey the couple of times Ive been there..

x

Flowerpot said...

Marmie - lovely to hear from you. That cake sounds wonderful....