The idea for this episode came when I read a story about people who’ve lost their sense of smell. This may be due to having a severe head injury, this may be due to illnesses such as Covid, or this can be due to anosmia from birth. For those that cannot smell, the problem is one of logistics. If you can’t smell something burning, you won’t go to remove the food from the oven. If you’ve never been able to smell since birth, you may not know the difference and you’ve likely figured out other ways to navigate through life.
But then I thought about the impact of someone who knew the smell of his children, the smell of fresh sea air, or of the way asphalt smells after a rain. What if that was suddenly gone for good? What then?
We all explore our world using sight, sound, touch, taste and smell whether we’re conscious of it or not. We take for granted the ability to identify garlic simmering in marinara or chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. But what is the full impact of taste and smell on our lives? And, what if we lost them? My next guest studies the science of taste and smell and navigates us through these questions.
Our senses are gifts to help us better explore and enjoy the world around us. I hope that none of you experience the loss of one or more of your senses. Instead, I hope the conversation in this podcast helps you all appreciate the profound impact our senses have on our lives.
Show Links
New York Times Story – “What Can Covid-19 Teach Us About the Mysteries of Smell?”
Graphic of taste & smell
Graphic of brain
GBM 59 – Psychology & Gastrophysics
GBM 6 & GBM 55 with Master Judge Randy Scorby
GBM 49 – Advanced Tasting with Rich Higgins
Rich Higgins’ Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Twitter – @courtthewilson
courtney.wilson@Cuanschutz.edu
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