I know a guy who took a fall from the second story of a building while he was working and landed on his head. He lost his sense of smell, taste, and a lot more. He said that he still enjoyed the texture of some foods, and got hungry, but eating was a lot less interesting. Saved money on food in general.
That's incredible and unfortunate. I have a terrible sense of smell, but I cannot imagine the inconvenience and frustration of having no sense at all.
I've been under the impression that smell plays a big role in the taste of food. Has your appreciation of food changed any? Are there foods that you appreciate more or less?
You know, I've always held the belief that unless you were riding on roads, bicycle helmets were usually over-protection. Now I have to deal with this personal account. If you hit your head that hard, it easily could have been much worse.
I enjoy food. Sometimes it's delicious. I'm pretty sure, though, that my experience of food is different from other people's. When it comes to cooking, my spousal unit has the job of adding herbs and spices.
Note: I was not wearing a helmet back in 1972 and there was no culture of helmet wearing. I wish I had been wearing a helmet and always wear one now. Bicycle helmet laws were introduced in Canada in the mid-1990s. In the US, most helmet laws, where they exist, were introduced in the 1990s or later (http://www.helmets.org/mandator.htm).
Upon further thinking, there is really only one scenario where you might actually be lucky to have no sense of smell.... I give you, "Sex Panther by Odeon"
lil, I really enjoyed this post because it forced me to consider what is perhaps my most taken for granted sense. I'm sorry for your loss and I appreciate the humor with which you can relay something as insensitive as someone telling you your "lucky" for not being able to smell something. That's like saying someone is lucky they're deaf just because a bad song is on the radio.
I just came back from a espresso shop called Jet Fuel. I asked the waitress about two containers sitting next to the sugar. I said, "Which one is the cinnamon and which one is the chocolate?" She said, "You can Just smell it."
Sigh.
p.s. I liked seeing the picture of you in Michigan.
Thanks lil, it was a really nice trip. It's nice to be home though, vomit and all ;-)