More brain cruft

[magid]

a comet that falls to the ground: exorbitant

Basil is starting to taste just the tiniest bit like licorice to me. I wonder if the plants are related.

The cauliflower obssession may be waning; I've had one in the fridge all week without roasting it. Though part of the reason may be about my lack of will to cook for just me. It's not good, not to have motivation, and it seems to be spreading. Sigh.

Must must must get my bike in for a tune-up.
Also must buy some skirts; I somehow have an insufficient supply. It would be good to do laundry, too.
Plus all the usual around-the house things I've let slip. Where did all the energy I used to have go, anyway?

Comments

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

I also think basil has a faint licorice taste.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Strange. I hadn't noticed it until sometime last summer, and thought it was just a temporary aberration or something. I wish it had been.

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

I guess you're not fond of licorice? I am, but over the years I've noticed that I seem to have limited company in this.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, no, I'm not. Well, every so often it appeals, but it's rare (less frequent for me than wanting peanut butter, which is seldom, too). I wish I did.

[pinkfish.livejournal.com]

There are a number of different varieties of Basil - many of the most common ones have a flavor that is reminiscent of licorice. I have always thought so. But I only notice it when the leaf is fresh; dried or cooked, the licorice flavor goes away.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I hadn't noticed it before last summer, and now I'm wondering if my nose is more trained/nuanced (can one's nose get more keen?), or my sense of smell is shifting.

[pinkfish.livejournal.com]

Yes, one's nose can get more keen, and yes, one's sense of smell can shift. I can remember particular times in my life when suddenly it seemed that I could smell many more things than before (or after). I could suddenly tell the difference between different perfumes that people were wearing, or identify what brand of tobacco they smoke. I don't know if it is a matter of attention, training, or actual changes in the chemistry of the nose, but these things can shift.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Some of it is chemistry of the nose/ brain function (just ask MissDimple; she had severe changes after the accident, with smell fluctuating wildly...). I haven't had a noticeable event like that, nor any training, and I don't think I've been paying any more attention than I used to.

I wonder how professional noses protect themselves from smell drift.

[Have you seen Eat, Drink, Man, Woman? I don't remember what happened to the chef's sense of taste/smell in the end (nor how he lost it in the first place), but I remember that being the first time I'd really thought of the consequences of such a loss.]