...like smells...odours - the fragrant kind, the tantalizingly tempting and the temptingly enticing. The zesty tang of a bright yellow lemon. The crisp, sharp nip of its slightly sour aroma that screams 'freshness' like no other is one of the most uplifting of 'smells' that can instantly alter your mood to surprisingly match the fruit's cheery colour. And, Oh! The royal aroma of thinly sliced onions being fried a deep golden brown. There's a hint of sweetness in that smell and a delectably alluring hold on you that you can't break away from until you've gorged on the eatables that those onions have garnished. There's nothing more heavenly that the smells of fried onions, topped with sprigs of mint and coriander and sprinkled with fresh lemon juice - it's indescribable, only an aroma you'd associate with food fit for the gods.
Or that unmistakable flavour that fills the air when you fry a paste of freshly ground fragrant ginger and garlic - a base for the rest of your regular, mundane curry, yet that bourgeois ingredient that never fails to lace your cooking with a hint of sour-sweet and fried, golden goodness.
The delightful aromas that spices give out when you roast them and grind them. Oh! The smells of a melting pot of all that's nice that is merrily boiling away can bring a smile to your lips and lilt you like a sweet melody does - or perhaps it’s the tune of that happy song you're listening to or humming away as you stir, boil and whip up a delectable treat. Because that's what cooking does - it lightens your mood, peps you up, de-stresses you - it engages all your senses, especially the olfactory one, which play such a large role in making you feel happy at your food smelling good. It invariably means you're doing all the right things to make your recipe a success of a dish.
Cooking is all about the smells, isn't it? Glorious, tempting, tantalizing smells that waft through the air, enticing you, whetting your appetite, making you salivate and lust desirably at all the sublime food giving off those aromas.
Why, then, would one want to remove all traces of lovely aromas that linger around while they cook? Why would one want to cleanse the living quarters to a sanitized lab-like atmosphere by sucking them all out through exhaust fans? Why would one not want those smells to stay on in one's hair and clothes or drift around and out through the windows?
I think the aromas are the best part of the cooking process. They're the raison d'etre for cooking, eating and enjoying your meal.
Or that unmistakable flavour that fills the air when you fry a paste of freshly ground fragrant ginger and garlic - a base for the rest of your regular, mundane curry, yet that bourgeois ingredient that never fails to lace your cooking with a hint of sour-sweet and fried, golden goodness.
The delightful aromas that spices give out when you roast them and grind them. Oh! The smells of a melting pot of all that's nice that is merrily boiling away can bring a smile to your lips and lilt you like a sweet melody does - or perhaps it’s the tune of that happy song you're listening to or humming away as you stir, boil and whip up a delectable treat. Because that's what cooking does - it lightens your mood, peps you up, de-stresses you - it engages all your senses, especially the olfactory one, which play such a large role in making you feel happy at your food smelling good. It invariably means you're doing all the right things to make your recipe a success of a dish.
Cooking is all about the smells, isn't it? Glorious, tempting, tantalizing smells that waft through the air, enticing you, whetting your appetite, making you salivate and lust desirably at all the sublime food giving off those aromas.
Why, then, would one want to remove all traces of lovely aromas that linger around while they cook? Why would one want to cleanse the living quarters to a sanitized lab-like atmosphere by sucking them all out through exhaust fans? Why would one not want those smells to stay on in one's hair and clothes or drift around and out through the windows?
I think the aromas are the best part of the cooking process. They're the raison d'etre for cooking, eating and enjoying your meal.
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