New Orleans presents an assault on all of the senses, from the feel of the cobblestones underfoot to the tastes of the wonderful food. But nothing catches my attention more than the myriad of smells in the air.
I rarely notice smells back in Indiana. Maybe I’m just used to them, but I also think we don’t have the variety. However, the French Quarter offers many unfamiliar scents.
First thing in the morning, we notice the flowers on the trees and the soap from the street washers. Men with garden hoses are spraying down the sidewalks to rinse of the debris from the previous night’s revelry. Fresh benoits are being fried in the many food shops along the streets.
There don’t seem to be any alleys in the quarter, so trash cans and bags block the sidewalks, and as they cook in the sunshine emit pungent odors – something we mostly notice only near the dumpsters behind restaurants back home.
Down at the banks of the Mississippi, one notices what can only be called river smell.
Another common street odor is that of sweaty people. It is hot and humid, so people of all walks of life can really work up a funk. I’m thinking that my attempts to stay fresh with twice-a-day showers, deodorant, and cologne are futile attempts to stave off the inevitable.
In the evening, the restaurants fire up their grills and ovens to let loose some of the best food smells I’ve ever experienced. Countless cuisines are available, with Cajun and pub food the most common (two of my favorites).Â
Bourbon Street at night puts forth another set of aromas. In addition to the best and worst mentioned above, stir in a good dose of overapplied perfume/cologne, the smoke of countless cigarettes, the stale leaf pile stench of pot smokers, and the unmistakable odor of stale beer that has soaked into every inch of the many bars up and down the street.
Understand that I’m not complaining about any of these smells (except maybe the cigarettes). They are all part of the New Orleans experience.