In which I'm pondering sense memory
Specifically, "scents" memory. When I was a child, I absolutely adored my paternal grandfather. He died when I was six, but I have a few vivid memories of him, all of which center around the kitchen where he would sit me on a high stool while he made tea. (My own kitchen has black, rush-seat ladderback chairs and Blue Willow plates because of that kitchen and my memories of him.) But it wasn't until I was a teenager and someone brewed me a cup of Earl Grey tea that I realized that was the scent I associated with him. The tea he brewed was always Earl Grey, and it is that very particular note of bergamot that to me means comfort and love. It rushed back to me the moment I smelled it again, and I have been devoted to Earl Grey ever since.
Another olfactory memory that has taken me by surprise is Youth Dew. According to legend, it was created for a Russian princess, and I am inclined to believe it. It is bold and spicy, and for a very long time I didn't realize it was the only fragrance my favorite great-aunt wore. But a few months ago I was passing an Estee Lauder counter and whipped around at the familiar smell. I tested several bottles until I hit upon Youth Dew and it was as if someone had bottled up my darling great-aunt. I almost bought a bottle, but decided against it. For me, Youth Dew is unapologetically and forever hers.
Unwittingly, I created my own sense memory for my daughter. When she was a small child, I only ever wore Chanel No. 5, and for her, that perfume, warmed by my skin, is the purest form of comfort. I wear a few dozen scents now, but whenever we're feeling a little fragile and in need of emotional sustenance, I reach for the black-topped bottle with the interlocking C's. I know that when she is an old woman, that scent above all others, will conjure my memory for her. Curious how fragrance, so fleeting and so intangible, can evoke such strong emotions. I read once that the olfactory sense is the one linked most closely to memory, and it's certainly true in my experience.
And I wonder, what sense memories do you have tied to scent?
Another olfactory memory that has taken me by surprise is Youth Dew. According to legend, it was created for a Russian princess, and I am inclined to believe it. It is bold and spicy, and for a very long time I didn't realize it was the only fragrance my favorite great-aunt wore. But a few months ago I was passing an Estee Lauder counter and whipped around at the familiar smell. I tested several bottles until I hit upon Youth Dew and it was as if someone had bottled up my darling great-aunt. I almost bought a bottle, but decided against it. For me, Youth Dew is unapologetically and forever hers.
Unwittingly, I created my own sense memory for my daughter. When she was a small child, I only ever wore Chanel No. 5, and for her, that perfume, warmed by my skin, is the purest form of comfort. I wear a few dozen scents now, but whenever we're feeling a little fragile and in need of emotional sustenance, I reach for the black-topped bottle with the interlocking C's. I know that when she is an old woman, that scent above all others, will conjure my memory for her. Curious how fragrance, so fleeting and so intangible, can evoke such strong emotions. I read once that the olfactory sense is the one linked most closely to memory, and it's certainly true in my experience.
And I wonder, what sense memories do you have tied to scent?
Comments
Oh, qandlequeen just reminded
Oh, qandlequeen just reminded me of something! When I was quite young my family lived outside of Albany, New York. On the slope behind the playground of the small church-cum-elementary school I attended there was a springy, arromatic plant that had little purple flowers on it in the spring. I loved it, and I used to fill my pockets with it and bring it home, to my mothers quiet exasperation. But I never knew what it was. We moved to the midwest when I was in second grade, and eventually I forgot all about it. Several years later, when I was in high school, we went back to visit friends, and I wandered through the school and playground. As I walked up the hill beyond, my feet crushed the plants and I instantly recognized and remembered the arromatic scent that the plants released-- but I couldn't identify it. So I filled my pockets with it, and took it to my godmother, who was married to the church's pastor, to find out what it was. It was thyme! But to this day we can't figure out how an entire hill of thyme came to grow behind the playground of that old church. If it grew there for sixteen years or more, though, I don't doubt it's still growing there today. ~Meredith B.
my mother also wore Channel
my mother also wore Channel number 5. She is gone now, but I keep her last bottle on my dresser to sniff when I'm missing her. The scent has stayed true in that bottle for 10 years! it's magic.
The smell of Thin Mints
The smell of Thin Mints always brings back memories of my paternal grandmother. She lived with us part of the year when I was little and I never tired of sitting on her lap. If I was extra special good I'd get a Thin Mint from the box beside her bed!
A few years ago I revisited
A few years ago I revisited where I grew up in Oregon. As we got close to town I rolled down the window for a little fresh air and suddenly caught the scent of a unique combination of pine and sage, something I've never smelled anywhere else in my travels. Then a whole rush of childhood memories came forth. Totally amazing experience, but very difficult to maneuver while driving.
I LOVE Jergens Original scent
I LOVE Jergens Original scent cherry-almond because my favorite grandmother wore it; now my daughter says that is MY smell to her, and she gets frustrated when she passes someone else who uses that lotion because in her little girl world that scent should be solely reserved for me.
My paternal grandmother died
My paternal grandmother died when I was 5, and I always remembered her perfume, but never knew what it was. When I was 17 and working at the jewelry counter, a woman walked by who had a very familiar scent. I asked her about her perfume and it was Estee Lauder's White Linen. :)My mom always wore Bath & Body Works Moonlit Path when I was a teenager and that will always be her scent, no matter how many new favorites she has. :D
Wet cement, wet dog (yeah,
Wet cement, wet dog (yeah, wet dog..go figure), Bonne Bell Skin Musk (hello high school), White Shoulders (I loathe it, but it reminds me of my best friend in high school), mildewed books (a shame, but a very evocative scent), sawdust (grandpa's workshop - he carved my jewelery box) and cigarettes (my dad's one ever present accessory). Any of those will instantly make me happy, no matter the situation.
Mine has to be a scent that I
Mine has to be a scent that I haven't placed - but I came close with the scent of H2O brand shampoo. It's the smell of the public library in my hometown. Nothing is as sweet as that smell, and if I catch a whiff of it, I'm instantly transported back to the old card catalog (no computers!) and to heaven!! I spent so many hours there engrossed in the tall aisles that the smell literally haunts me! I ordered the shampoo from the internet (it's also used in the Disney World hotel resorts) just to smell it. It's not exact, but it's as close as I've found.
My long-gone mother wore the
My long-gone mother wore the carnation scent of Bellodgia and I am J'adore lotion. Lightly used, though.
My Grandma made homemade
My Grandma made homemade tortillas everyday of her life and her home always smelled of it as well as onions and green chiles simmering on the stove. My father was a mechanic and also owned a gas station--everytime I fill up my tank I linger and smell the gas and think of Dad. My Mom wears Youth Dew and has for as long as I can remember--it's Mom.
Wet paint remind me of my
Wet paint remind me of my grandfather, and whenever I smell Prada's Infusion D'Iris, I instantly think of my mum. It's the perfect perfume for her. :)
The smell of cut grass always
The smell of cut grass always brings back memories of summers spent in a village three hours away from Leningrad, and the smell of cigarette smoke makes me think of my Dad. I think those are my only two scent memories...
Forgive me for double
Forgive me for double dipping, but who has a better response to today's question than Robert Duvall's "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" ? (Apocalypse Now, 1979)
The smell of diesel fuel
The smell of diesel fuel always reminds me of London, England. Not pretty, but true. And I must agree with Meredith - there is no greater aroma than that of bread baking in the oven. It brings out the kid in everyone.
Smell of pipe tobacco always
Smell of pipe tobacco always reminds me of my granddaddy.
This may sound strange, but
This may sound strange, but when summer rain falls on hot cement, it releases a specific scent-- it's a bitter, asphalty, concrete scent that isn't necessarily pleasant, but it always puts me in the mind of three long months of summer vacation. I lived in a small town growing up and my sisters and I used to walk or bike to the corner mart and the fair grounds and the park, and rain never really seemed to slow us down. And the scent of my own bread baking in the oven is bright heaven, and always will be. I spent long hours learning to do it right when I was in middle school, and baked every week for years. To me, it means comfort and competence and caring for the people I love. I bake much more infrequently in these days of carb consciousness, but I still love it.~Meredith B.
Talking about scent and
Talking about scent and memory always makes me think of Proust's wonderfully pictorial "A la recherche du temps perdu" and how memories rush back because of scents and sights.