Smell memory

If a picture is worth a thousand words it has nothing on the simplest of smells.

Many a day I’ve been pedaling along a country road and caught a whiff of some tree or flower or weed and been transported back home. When I visit the piney woods of east Texas I’m no longer in Texas but back pedaling a mountain bike through the forests in Research Triangle Park.

Today, I was struck be the incontrovertible urge to have a bit of pizza for lunch. So I motored on over to Pizza Inn on Josey Lane. Never been there before.

But, when I walked in the door, the unique odors of Pizza Inn transported me back to my childhood and watching the dough rise in the kitchen. As I ate, my brain wandered the kitchen and smelled the cheese, the doughs, the sauces.

Amazing that a restaurant a thousand miles away (and 25 years) can smell the same.

At least I can take comfort they haven’t changed anything….