# Mmmm, I love the smell of .... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2001, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629 "2001-09-25T03:59:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/21 "2001-09-25T13:12:18Z")
Pipe tobacco. Some kind of salve that comes in little yellow disc-shaped containers–Blistex? Kinda vanilla-scented. Boiling wort. Roasting turkey. Chinatown on a good day and no I can’t explain that one. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/22 "2001-09-25T13:16:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Some kind of salve that comes in little yellow disc-shaped containers–Blistex? Kinda vanilla-scented. **Carmex**. Yeah, that smells good. Cocoa butter. I only use Carmex when I’ve been skiing, but I love the smell. Pipe tobacco also smells good. So does a good cigar, like an Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/23 "2001-09-25T13:17:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by frock75 \* > \*\*“Napalm in the morning!” \*\* Which, of course, smells like victory. I like coffee, puppies, new cars, bacon, and Mrs. RickJay. ---
**Author:** ![Bluepony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Bluepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluepony)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/24 "2001-09-25T13:29:37Z")
A freshly-opened bag of Cheetos Fresh Cuban cigars (don’t ask me how I get them!) 😉 The electric ozone smell of rainstorms Cordite smell of ignited gunpowder (A smell I’ve lived with most of my life) Salt smells of the ocean ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/25 "2001-09-25T13:38:00Z")
Bacon, indeed Toast coffee (I hate coffee, jsut like the smell) baking bread gasoline(sometimes) some library books juicy fruit stripe gum ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/26 "2001-09-25T13:44:43Z")
When I started typing my reply, I could only think of candle scents. It’s like Yankee Candle Company has co-opted my sense of smell. I think I feel a little betrayed. That said, I love the smell of: A plowed field after a rainstorm Cinnamon buns Toasted hazelnuts Toasted almonds Tea roses Christmas trees Oatmeal raisin cookies Black cherry juice Toasted marshmallows and woodsmoke I have a hard time explaining this one, but I really love the “man smell.” Not cologne or aftershave or soap or anything, just the smell of a man a few hours into the day. It’s strongest around the neck and ears, and I always try to catch a quick dose when I give and receive hugs. There are some men I could just stand and…inhale. ::sigh, sappy look:: ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/27 "2001-09-25T14:07:35Z")
Play-Doh Saddle leather Carnival (combination of sautéd onions & peppers, animal smells and diesel fuel) Hollyhocks New carpets Freshly laundered sheets and towels New shoes Juniper Musk Fresh bread Just-cut grass Elmer’s glue Sandalwood Calvin Klein’s “Obsession” The seashore ---
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/28 "2001-09-25T14:17:21Z")
**Non foods:** The smell of the air right before it snows My husband’s skin - no matter how grimy and unwashed he is, his skin always maintains a slight smell of Snuggle, whatever cologne he’s wearing and baby powder The smell of the beach after you haven’t been there in a while The bark of Ponderosa Pine trees in New Mexico Breaking open a needle from my Christmas tree and smelling it - Douglas Firs always smell like ripe oranges When leaves first start to turn and fall Shalimar perfume - will always remind me of my mom until the day I die Getting into my bed after I put just-washed sheets and comforter back on… I get between the covers and just inhale My bulldog after a bath… she smells like a newborn baby 🙂 **Food smells:** Cinnamon Pineapple and Coconut - reminds me of my honeymoon Chilis roasting Spaghetti sauce on the stove Earl Grey tea My house on Thanksgiving Day When my husband smokes a pork roast outside all day… you can literally taste it in the air ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/29 "2001-09-25T14:18:56Z")
When I was a very young child we lived across the street from a feed company - horse feed that is. Those oats smelled better than anything in the world! ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/30 "2001-09-25T14:23:14Z")
A just extinguished birthday candle Camel brand cigarettes (only because my friend Lynne smokes them) baking bread my pillow after my (hypothetical) girlfriend sleeps on it blood rainy air ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/31 "2001-09-25T14:32:01Z")
On both my work computers lives the sound file that I ‘startup’ with. It’s from the “I Robot, You Jane” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, courtesy of Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy Productions/20th Century Fox: “Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower or a whiff of smoke can bring back experiences long forgotten. Books smell… musty, rich. The knowledge gained from a computer… it has no texture, no context. It’s there and then it’s gone. If the getting of knowledge is to last it should be tangible… it should be smelly.” Mmmm. Giles is my **man**. 🙂 I love the smell of old books. Well, old books, new books, any kind of books. And sawdust… I find every excuse I can think of to go out to the new wood shed at work. And campfires, or wood stoves/fireplaces. Horses, especially after you’ve been out riding for a while. That smell in the air just before it snows. Oh, and lavender. I wash my sheets and pajamas in lavender soap, and it’s just heavenly. Food… BBQ always makes my mouth water. And fresh garlic bread. And lamb. And Earl Gray tea. _sigh_ I feel all warm and cuddly now. 🙂 -BK ---
**Author:** ![Justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@Justin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/32 "2001-09-25T14:33:05Z")
Smells I love Food. coffe a charcoal grill(almost anything smells good on a grill) oranges Non Food Gunpowder (smokless, not black powder) Oil tanned leather Horses (I dont ride, but i still like to smell them) Dogs, as long as they arent wet woodsmoke, especialy live oak. pine trees …and the strange one… I like the smell of a diesel semi-truck when its owner starts it up first thing in the morning. As long as the wind direction isnt blowing directly on you, its not an overpowering smell. Smells i absolutely hate. Onions…they stink…not mater what you do with them Celery…Same as onions Ducks…If kept in a pen, they will rival a sewage treatment plant in stench. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/33 "2001-09-25T14:49:24Z")
Roast cumin seeds Grilled lamb Roast chicken Oranges Coffee (fresh ground) Chocolate and vanilla Toasted almonds Les Belles de Ricci perfume in Liberty Fizz Pines Sea air My armpits My partner ---
**Author:** ![caircair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@caircair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caircair)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/34 "2001-09-25T14:53:20Z")
Roses, Lilacs, Poplar trees. Fresh baked molasses cookies. The earth after a rainstorm. Hot bread from the oven. “Sand and Sable” perfume. Gasoline. Those really smelly felt tip pens, the ones with the really big tips. Reminds me of being a little girl and visiting my Grandma’s house. One of my very best memories! ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/35 "2001-09-25T14:54:08Z")
My homemade brownies right after they come out of the oven. New car smell. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/36 "2001-09-25T15:01:35Z")
**Juniper** , I agree with you wholeheartedly on that “man smell” thing. Some guys just smell plain _good_. mmmmm… My list[ul] [li]Horses. I love sticking my face right onto a horse’s muzzle and inhaling deeply. Mmmm, horsey-smell.[/li][li]My pillow. I love my pillow. I take it everywhere I stay overnight.[/li][li]Spring dirt[/li][li]Sycamores. My favorite tree - I can always tell if one’s around just by the smell of the air[/li][li]_Polo_ by Ralph Lauren. Gotta go light on it, cause it’s strong, but I just love that piney smell.[/li][li]Pine oil. Reminds me of the gazillion times I and my buddy Kurt mopped the floor at the clinic in Oki.[/li][li]Grapefruit and patchouli essential oils. This is the mix I use in my bath at night - 3 drops of grapefruit and 1 drop of patchouli. Divine[/li][li]Baking bread[/li][li]Wood smoke. My dad heats with wood and this reminds me of him and his house[/li][li]Jet fuel. Reminds me of Kadena Air Base and watching the fighters take off.[/li][li]Jasmine at night. Again, reminds me of rainy nights on Okinawa.[/ul][/li]It **is** strange how certain smells trigger memories, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![greenlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@greenlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenlady)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/37 "2001-09-25T15:02:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bdgr \* > \*\*havent a clue…I was born without a sense of smell… \*\* I guess you can’t miss what you never had, but still, that’s sad. I love Winnie’s list. Descriptions are terrific. I’ll add: **Coppertone suntan lotion** – reminds me of my childhood. I’ll second the whole _day_ of Thanksgiving. All the smells of turkey, chestnut dressing, pumpkin and apple pies, etc. all smooshed together and permeating the entire house. ---
**Author:** ![Michele\_in\_SoCal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Michele\_in\_SoCal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michele_in_SoCal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/38 "2001-09-25T15:02:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Feynn \* > **…When we become older the responses to smells become more complex, freshly baked bread or apple pie might invoke hunger in some but to others it may take them away to another time and place or invoke powerful emotions.** I distinctly remember taking my son to his first day of kindergarten (he’s 22 now!) and being overwhelmed by the memories and feelings of nostalgia when I smelled the kindergarten classroom. The smell of crayons and paste brought me right back to my own kindergarten days! And Feynn, your post brought tears to my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/39 "2001-09-25T15:19:55Z")
Food smells: Roasting peanuts Popcorn Fresh baking (doesn’t matter what) My mother’s meatballs and red gravy simmering Crabs stewing in red gravy (a Philadelphia thing?) Non-food smells: New cars Sun-warmed old car interiors (especially GM products for some reason) Gasoline New tires (I can stand in that aisle at Sam’s Club and breathe deeply all day) Creosote. When I was a kid we used to live near the Frankford Elevated Line car shops in Philadelphia and SEPTA used to store the wooden ties for the tracks outdoors. They were treated with creosote to prevent rot. When the wind was right you could smell the creosote blocks away, especially in the summer when it was hot and humid. Till the day I die the scent of creosote will remind me of bike riding, going to the pool, eating ice cream in the afternoon (the height of decadence when I was 10; _everybody_ knew ice cream was a snack to eat at night while you watched TV, if you had been good), and being a kid with almost 10 weeks of vacation and nothing to do. Swimming pools (chlorine, water, and humid heat) The Jersey Shore boardwalks (the sea, fried food, fudge, and candy)-I feel like I’m 9 again. Fishing boats-Reminds me of my dad taking me deep sea fishing for bluefish and flounder off Brielle, NJ Liz Claiborne perfume, Sea Breeze skin conditioner- they remind me of my wife and they always will. Noxzema (sp?) skin cream- smells like summer. It’s what my mom used to put on our sunburns when we were little. OK, gotta stop. I could do this all day. Zappo ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629/40 "2001-09-25T15:43:12Z")
Non-food smells: [ul] [li]The ocean - reminds me of playing in Mission Bay with my sister and mom when I was growing up.[/li][li]Sand and Sable perfume - reminds me of mom and of the ocean, maybe with a dash of horse smell too.[/li][li]The way it smells before it rains.[/li][li]The way it smells right before it snows.[/li][li]My kids after they’ve shampooed their hair with conditioning Baby shampoo.[/li][li]Turbo Dog when he wears Old Spice or Brut - He smells like fresh baked cinnamon sugar cookies with a dash of man thrown in, is about the only I can describe it.[/li][li]Grey Flannel cologne.[/li][/ul] Food smells: [/list] [li]Fresh coffee.[/li][li]Tequila.[/li][li]The way the house smells when your making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.[/li][/list] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmmm-i-love-the-smell-of/83629.md?page=3)