National Sense of Smell Day was April 27
Words and photographs by Clark Adomaitis
Illustrations by Katie Herchenroeder
*Sniff* *Sniff* What is that smell? NationalSense of Smell Day is this Saturday, April 27! Rejoice and smell! Mother’sapple pie, Abuela’s homemade macaroni and cheese, and your father’s banana boatpudding are all fantastic smells to enjoy. According to Everyday Health, people can detect over one trillion distinctscents. How many have you smelled? Here are some ways to know your nose inhonor of the holiday!
Vitamin A-Rich Feast
Today is the day to enhance your smellpower with a load of Vitamin A. Have you ever compared your sense of smell to adog’s? According to PBS, dogs possessup to 300 million olfactory receptors, paling in comparison to humans’ sixmillion. We must strengthen our nose! Treat your olfactory receptors to adelicious liver omelet packed with broccoli, spinach, and carrots. Juxtaposethis savory saline feast with a crisp burst of sweetness in a bowl of freshcantaloupe. Cleanse your palette with a glass of V8 juice. These Vitamin A richingredients will make your nose happy on its special day.
Nose Charades
Challenge your sense of smell byblindfolding your friends or family members in the face of a pungent object.You and your party will guess that smell! Have hours of fun by putting pickles,pizza, peppers, and anything else up to your friends’ nostrils. You can eventest how well you know you friends by putting a shirt of theirs against thenasal cavity of the blindfolded. “This smells like cheese; it must be Derek!”
Smell Your Loved Ones
Throughout the hustle and bustle of ourbusy New York lifestyle, we often ignore the subtle smells around us. Some ofthe most important, diverse, but underappreciated smells come from those whosurround us every day. Do you know what your father smells like after gettinghome from a long, sweaty day of manual labor? Have you experienced yourbrother’s post-workout stench?
You most likely already are latentlyfamiliar with these day-to-day scents. They signal to you that “Dad got apromotion at work” or “My brother’s team won!” Any emotions you experience inthese scenarios are subconsciously characterized by these corresponding scents.Becoming aware of these unique and powerful smells can help family membersappreciate and recognize each other’s dynamic pheromones.
Use #SenseOfSmellDay to post your smelling activities on social media.
Tag us @ccnycampus so we can see
