Smell-icious

Smells.

Usually they're good things.  They can whet an appetite, tell you if your spices or nuts are toasted, or conjure up memories of mom or grandma's kitchen.

Or smells can be nauseating or linger too long.  I've always thought that one of the worst things about the food industry is going home and smelling like what you've been working with all day.  Sometimes it can be pleasant, a whiff of cinnamon or butter and sugar if you're a baker.  Sometimes the smells morph and change character, and everyone knows you were working with fish.

Last week, I went to my boyfriend's apartment after teaching a Thai menu at the kid's cooking school.  As he gave me a hug, he took a deep breath and said, "Mmm...you smell like fried egg rolls."  Gee, thanks.  Nothing makes a girl feel more special than when she's told that she smells like food deep fried in fat.

Even at the test kitchen, where we are given fresh chef's coats everyday, you inevitably take on the smells of what's cooking.  Yesterday it was four pot roasts in slow cookers, short ribs I seared with a black bean sauce, shrimp, nuoc cham sauce, biscuits, and who knows what else.  The smells here seep through the chef's coats and linger on your own clothes.  I find myself doing lots of laundry now or throwing clothes in the dryer with a dryer sheet to freshen them. 

I remember coming home and taking a shower before going out to dinner once because the stench of curry was all over my hair.  Plus, I didn't want my pillow to smell like curry too!  The beginning of the shower itself was gross too- imagine curry smells steaming up all around you as you begin to rinse off.

In cooking school, smells were intensified because of the small kitchens.  Imagine 10 people cooking the same thing in a kitchen about the size of a typical Parisian apartment (that is to say, tiny).  Compound that with the fact that the French like to sear proteins on high heat, generating lots of sizzling, smoke, and you guessed it, smells.  Walking around school, you could probably take a sniff of somebody and go, "Hmm...guess the Intermediate class was making cassoulet today.  Can't you smell the sausage and duck confit on them?"  I guess that's why they gave us 3 changes of coats.

Luckily, there are some smells I'll never tire of.  Well-roasted coffee, chocolate, cookies, apple pie.  Usually they're sweet items, although the smell of freshly-baked bread or croissants is always irresistible.  Still, someone should invent clothing that doesn't absorb odors, unless you really want to wear plastic clothing while you cook.  I know I don't.

Bon appétit!

Comments

[Doug]

Hi Christine. Great site, I'm sure I'll enjoy digging around a bit more.

I can totally relate to the smell thing. I live in a studio apartment - my bedroom/living room doubles as my kitchen. There's some foods I love to make, but won't, for fear of smelling up the place for days.