Comments on: Bacon vs. Baby: Who Wins the Smell Test?

By: PT

PT — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:14:54 +0000

New sneakers! Used to love the stockroom at athletic shoe stores. Every time I open a box of new ones… Ahhhhh! TMI?

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:15:26 +0000

When I was a little kid, I had a friend who used to run up behind trucks and inhale deeply when they accelerated away.

I thought it was weird as hell, but I guess a lot of people like that smell.

My personal top two smells are probably fresh cut grass and the air after a rain storm.

By: christine

christine — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:24:16 +0000

How about cinnamon or Christmas trees?

By: Dixon

Dixon — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:27:15 +0000

Gauldar, I see you mention old book smell, I prefer the smell of new books or freshly printed brochures and magazines.

By: aging hipster

aging hipster — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:30:31 +0000

Never have I smelled anything as divine as my own brand new babies. There is something so powerful in the scent on their heads the first 2 weeks. It must be nature’s way of helping a mother bond because I don’t think anyone else’s babies necessarily smell good.

By: BikerRay

BikerRay — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:26:59 +0000

It’s about what memories it invokes… At a recent tour of an aircraft collection, the first thing our tour guide said on entering the hangar was “Ah, that wonderful smell!” All us pilots nodded our heads.

By: ted

ted — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:24:28 +0000

What’s a party popper?

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:22:26 +0000

gasoline smells great so long as they leave out that ethanol crap which ruins the smell. There is almost no gas station that has pure gas anymore and the smell is just horrible now.

I love the smell of fresh vinyl or plastic. Like those packages that have new floats for a pool.

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:03:13 +0000

You younglings will likely never know the smell of a freshly opened cassette tape from a store. Whenever I’d buy a new one, the first thing I’d do was bury my nose into the label/holder. Heaven.

By: LisaL

LisaL — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:20:22 +0000

Best smell in the world is Puppy Breath… THE… BEST… EVER

By: dreamsneverend

dreamsneverend — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:08:30 +0000

Where’s the old people smell?

By: ByrdBrain

ByrdBrain — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:29:24 +0000

Baby smell is good, but even better is a baby’s breath.

By: mikos

mikos — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:16:42 +0000

I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ‘em, not one stinkin’ dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like… victory. Someday this war’s gonna end…

By: pyrit

pyrit — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:12:49 +0000

Seaweed at low tide, working harbors, fishing piers.

Popcorn!

Diesel exhaust mixed with fast-food fumes.

Pubs.

By: dutchboy

dutchboy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:08:53 +0000

Oh and dimestorenovel above has it dead on with the wet cement smell.

By: dutchboy

dutchboy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:06:23 +0000

Also a light touch of cigar or pipe in the air, cigarette for that matter, it must be a light though.

By: dutchboy

dutchboy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:04:30 +0000

A faint smell of burning coal.

By: nihil

nihil — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:24:35 +0000

I could agree with pretty much all of these EXCEPT for the “Fresh Mown Grass.” That smell literally makes me nauseous. I think this may come from being crammed in a stifling hot elementary school classroom and having to smell the grass through the windows as it was being cut. (I’m getting sick just thinking about it.)

By: Nobilis

Nobilis — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:12:50 +0000

I’m quite relieved to read that list, actually. I’ve always thought that I was a weirdo because I love the smell of petrol. I also like the smell of tyres and new rubber boots But I also like the smell of kittens and puppies, fresh baked bread and so on.

By: dimestorenovel

dimestorenovel — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:02:03 +0000

Wet cement after a rainfall does it for me as well…which might explain why I love the smell of damp parking garages in the winter.

By: Evilbeagle

Evilbeagle — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:01:26 +0000

I love the smell of petrol and always have, as well as the smell of tire rubber. It’s probably why I’m such a gearhead now and ended up marrying one.

On this list, I like it all, except I would trade baby smell for puppy smell, party poppers for a new puzzle book smell, and roses for acetone. Weird, but hey… ya like what ya like.

By: Gauldar

Gauldar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:01:06 +0000

No old book smell? I’m surprised that they haven’t made a perfume that smells like freshly baked bread yet. I would so want to date a woman that smells like a bakery that just opened up in the morning.

By: MadMolecule

MadMolecule — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:55:37 +0000

Interesting how many of the items contain the adjective “fresh.”

I like the smell of gasoline (petrol, whatever) too. Also the smell of wet pavement when it’s just started raining after a dry spell, and the smell of gunpowder.

By: Cola

Cola — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:52:14 +0000

Oooh, and let me add, new electronics. I’m not sure what that smell is. I’ve heard it’s some kind of glue, but it wears off as you use the electronics. The first thing I do with a new DVD is open up the case and fold it over my nose. I’ve always been fond of electronics.

By: Cola

Cola — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:49:26 +0000

I LOVE the smell of matches. It’s the red phosphorous, I think (yellow phosphorous melts faces), and it’s the same smell as on July 4th after everyone has lit their fireworks. It’s a very nice smell.

I can’t account for petrol or the smell of rubber tires, however. I don’t really care for those smells.

And I would put bacon above vanilla (even as a vegetarian!).

By: Skipweasel

Skipweasel — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:37:14 +0000

Diesel fumes on a spring morning. Sorry – it brings back memories of happy narrowboat holidays taken during Easter holidays.

By: Splint Chesthair

Splint Chesthair — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:35:12 +0000

Yeah, I think I can go for all of these, except babies, not really a fan of the smell. When I was a kid petrol (gasoline) smelled better than it does today.

What I really love that isn’t on here is brand new vinyl, like a shower curtain, or cheap beach ball. Though I heard that smell is carcinogenic, but I don’t care, love it.

I also love rubbing alcohol.

By: Technoheretic

Technoheretic — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:03:46 +0000

The babies, petrol and tyres made me lol.

The rest makes sense though.

I’m a Brit btw.