Restaurant Smells

I have been given the "gift" of a great sense of smell. That can be good, and it can be bad.


I think smelling great food sometimes triggers me to overeat. I can be completely satisfied after a meal and smell dessert cooking, and that immediately triggers a desire for the dessert. That desire usually does not go away until I taste that dessert.


If I cook, which is a very rare occurrence these days, I will usually close my bedroom door and light a candle in there, so that the lingering smell of the meal will not be noticeable. If it is still lingering, I will wake up in the middle of the night and smell it all night long.


Now for restaurant smells. When I go into a Mexican restaurant, I expect to have a strong smell of Mexican food. When I go to an Italian restaurant, I expect to have a strong smell of Italian food. If I don't, I am immediately suspicious about the restaurant. If it doesn't smell like the food they are cooking, it may not measure up to my standards.


On the contrary, I have to be really prepared to go to two of my favorite restaurants, because I know when I leave there, EVERY part of my clothing and hair will stink. That would be La Hacienda Ranch and Pappasito's. Like I said, they are my two favorites. When we are making a decision about whether to eat there, I have to decide, "is it worth the smell?" We don't wear coats in there, or a scarf, or anything that can't be laundered. Sometimes, we will leave our clothes in the garage so they don't smell up the house.


But . . . the WORST smell for me is industrial soap. I have a big aversion to public bathrooms, and it is partly because of the smell of the soap. We are very easy customers to please, never send food back, don't complain if we don't like it, but if I am seated close to the bathroom, I will ask to move. It was kind of comical, but there was a period of time that it seemed like every time we went out to eat, we were automatically seated by the bathroom. I finally got bold enough to start asking to be moved.


If Pops has used the soap and is sitting across from me in the car or restaurant, I can smell it. We will be in the car and he will lovingly stroke my cheek or run his fingers through my hair. My response should be, "I love you", but it is usually, "You used the industrial soap, get your hands away from me!!!"


Gotta love a great nose!