The Nose Knows

You'd think, being in the center of our faces, that the nose would claim top honors among our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Unfortunately, except in the kitchen--where we smell when bread is ready to come out of the oven, when the soup is seasoned well, when there is something rotten in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator--we take our noses completely for granted.

Fragrance manufacturers know otherwise. They must pay attention to the fact that many German people do not like bleach-scented cleansers (bleach was used extensively to clean up after World War II), or that South American women, who clean their houses twice a day, want a strong, pine-scented cleanser to let neighbors know. Some restaurant chefs ban perfumed soap from their restrooms lest patrons, after washing their hands, be unable to concentrate completely on the essences of the meal.

The sense of smell is at the core of remembering and feeling. When molecules of perfume or smoke float up the nose, their message is carried by olfactory receptors directly to the limbic region of the brain, the seat of memory and emotion. Conversely, sensations of sight and sound reach the limbic region by a circuitous route, across more synapses, provoking a more cerebral reaction.

The nose's privileged access to the brain is why, while the sight of Grandma's trunk brings a smile of recognition, one sniff when the lid is lifted brings a flood of childhood memories and feelings as intense as if those hours of play happened yesterday. It is why the smell of fall leaves or newly cut grass makes us feel nostalgic, and why the smell of coffee brewing makes the morning seem possible.

Many of life's real pleasures are tied to the sense of smell, which influences body metabolism, caloric levels, stress, revulsion, arousal, and taste. All nuances of flavor come from sniffing a food's aroma or exhaling it through the nose as we eat or drink. (Our taste buds can detect only salt, sweet, bitter, and sour.)

The careful attention to smell we utilize with food should be exercised the rest of the day also. Practice noticing the smells in the air, seasonal changes, the scents of paper and ink, the cat's fur...whatever inhabits or visits your world. Several friends say they bird watch because it makes them pay attention to the little things around them. Our noses will do the same thing.

Fragrant Christmas Punch (to serve 8)

· 1 12 oz. can frozen apple juice concentrate
· 4 cups water
· 2 cups red wine
· 1 orange
· 20-25 whole cloves
· 3 sticks cinnamon
· 1/2 cup brown sugar

To fill the house with a heady aroma, begin this punch an hour before you plan to serve it. If you are in a hurry, it can be prepared in less than 15 minutes, although the spices will not be as pronounced in flavor.

In a non-aluminum pot, stir together the apple juice concentrate, water, and brown sugar. If you wish to boil all the alcohol out of the wine, add it at this point also. Plop in the cinnamon sticks and begin heating.

Wash the orange and remove any stem or dried blossom end. With a small, sharp knife, make a spiraling cut from top to bottom, cutting slightly into the flesh (so that juice as well as the essence from the peel will be released into the punch). Repeat five more times, paralleling the first cut. Then cut six spirals in the other direction. The orange should now be covered with diamond shapes. Push a clove in each intersection. When completely studded, float the orange in the punch.

Bring to a boil, then simmer until you are ready to serve, leaving uncovered. Add wine (if you haven't already), and taste. You may need to add more sugar.

Serve in pre-warmed cups.

Carey Burkett, former assistant to the editor at Sojourners, was an organic vegetable farmer in Hallettsville, Texas, when this article appeared.