A Lighter View
A nose always knows...or does it?
By K.E.H. Stagg

Feb. 25, 2010

It’s a widely recognized fact that the sense of smell is strongly associated with the sense of taste. But what strikes me is that it’s possible to train the nose to overcome its repugnance in order to eat things that taste a thousand times better than they smell.

I’m not talking here about dried fish, nor duriyan, kimchee or any one of a host of odiferous exotic delicacies which one has to be conditioned from birth to be able to eat and which I cannot even bring past my nose to get anywhere near my mouth. No, I’m talking about totally normal foods such as eggs or potato chips.

Ever opened a package of Parmesan cheese? The smell is something like unwashed feet. But the cheese tastes delicious: on pasta, salads, pretty much anything—and bears no resemblance to the dirty socks conjured up by the nose.

Hard-boiled eggs pose another nasal offense. The sulfur fumes bring to mind malfunctioning septic systems, and if the taste were anything like the smell, well, no one would ever touch them. Somehow, the sulfur dissipates before the eggs ever reach the tongue.

A surprising nasal assault comes from packages of chips. Corn chips and potato chips must contain a strongly scented preservative because the minute the bag is open, pee-yew! It makes me think of a middle school locker room immediately after gym class. But once the overpowering vapor vanishes, the snacks are not long for this world.

Which makes me wonder if the disconnect between smell and taste for, say, Gruyere cheese is equally true for the fermented cabbage so beloved of Koreans or the Asian vegetable that smells like a garbage dump, but is made into hard-shelled candy like M&M’s. It seems highly improbable that something the nose rejects is really highly delectable, but I’m prepared to admit it’s just possible.

Go ahead and take the first bite! I’m right behind you!