Aromas and smells

Jane mentioned being assaulted by an aroma opening a bag for work.

I have mentioned being really annoyed by restaurants who pump their aromas (what seems like it must be on purpose) out into the areas around their locations.

One restaurant, attached to our shopping mall, exudes such a strong scent that I do not park/enter on that side of the complex.

I think I mentioned previously, one business in our area with either a grill or a smoker had the surrounding neighbors take them to court over the aroma. I think the guy might have died (unrelated) during the process, so there was no decision. Or there was a decision, but he was gone around the time it came.

There is a big bakery, downtown, and I totally avoid the shops in that area because of the baking smells.

I worked at a donut shop when I was in high school. Just one summer I think. And did not eat a donut for years and years. The smell became nauseating by the time I left that job.






If you remember, I changed grocery stores, after decades of being a loyal customer, because they had too many sampling stations, every day of the week.

That was several years ago.

This same, my new, rarely sampling, grocery store added a big, hot pretzel station a few months ago. This is just like one you might see at a mall, major baking station.

I had three (self help) options:
1. Switch stores again.
2. Shop late at night when the station was closed.
3. Acknowledge it was there and then ignore it.

When I need something, I need something, I like to settle down for the night early, the late night thing seemed too disruptive. I did not want to shop at Walmart and that was really my last option. I decided just to not let it impact my life any more than the cookie aisle or the pop aisle or the crunchy snack aisle.

I have to admit, I was pretty annoyed the grocery store added this station.

There are two of these stations at the mall, not located in the food court, and that annoys me too.

But I was not interested in making each shopping trip an angry event. So, I just got over it.

And now I entertain myself by seeing if the grocery store pretzel stand is busy. Youngest does this too. Instead of wishing for a pretzel, we look to see how many employees, how many customers, and if the employees actually have any work to do. We suspect business is not good.

I notice the aroma of the pretzel stands at the mall. I do not at the grocery store. So, either I am used to it, or perhaps there is a volume difference. The stands at the mall are super busy so they are probably always baking. The stand at the grocery, not so much.

New Restaurant - this is the one with the salt and sugar in the water (day 35/56 foot debacle)

“Public opinion is always more tyrannical towards those who obviously fear it than towards those who feel indifferent to it.” 
Bertrand Russell





Husband and the oldest like Sushi.

I will not look nor try.

I like fish. But, I like cooked fish.



Last Saturday, girls were out with friends, husband/oldest/I went to their favorite Sushi restaurant.

The plan was for oldest to run in and see if there would be something (prepared the way I like it) for me to eat. If not, we would go on to reliable salad place.

Oldest ran in restaurant and checked and came back out to tell me they would grill me a piece of chicken and steam veggies for me. No sauce, no oil, no butter, no salt.

When the waitress came to the table she had been told that I was special order kind of gal. I explained what I wanted. She went back to kitchen with order and then came back to table.

She said she had been working there a long time and did not know (before that minute) that the restaurant "steams" veggies in salt/sugar water. From what she said, I think the steaming process involves immersion.


I am NOT the slightest bit embarrassed when I order. I do not feel I am the one who is out of line. I think society, in how they prepare food, is out of line. And I am used to dealing with restaurants, where if they have it in the kitchen, will accommodate me. If they want my continued business, they will be happy to do so.


So I asked it is was possible for them to steam with plain water or dry pan fry/grill veggies/chicken for me.

The kitchen decided they had 'clean' broccoli, chicken, mushrooms. And they had a pan they could use. Waitress asked if that was okay. It was.




Oldest asked if that interchange was upsetting. He asked if I was embarrassed or upset by it. 


I said no - it was just the learning curve. Now the waitress knows. Now the kitchen knows. Now I know how to communicate/order there. 



And my mantra of -
'No sauce, no oil, no butter, no salt, just the actual food, on a dry grill or pan' just had  'no sugar' added to the list. 




Husband was dumb founded by the whole thing. He asked WHY would a restaurant cook vegetables in SUGAR? I said - because all they care about is getting people to come back to them. So they are doing whatever they have to do to make their food taste 'special'. 


It is no different than the packaged food companies doing all they can to make their product taste like a party in the mouth so people buy more, More, MORE. 




We have to look out for our own health and our own waist line. No one in the food industry is going to do it for us. 




One of the restaurants with the highest amount of processed, I have seen, in almost every dish on the menu,  is a vegetarian restaurant in town. And it is a restaurant where I will NOT eat. 




At my (beloved) food coop, I have to be just as cautious about processed food as any grocery store. 


I am SOOOOOOOOOO not fooled by things that have a 'healthy' or 'organic' type word on the package. If it comes in a package, I need to be ubber careful in reading the label. If it has multiple ingredients, I have to be very diligent. 


If it is cooked by someone else, I have to be just as careful.