It's common knowledge that our senses of smell and taste are closely linked. Scientists call the pairing chemosensation, and the two working together are vital to our enjoyment of a meal.
It's not an overstatement to say these senses even contribute to our enjoyment of life. Working in tandem, they stimulate our desire to eat, and sharing a meal is one of the most social activities we humans take pleasure in.
Much of the time, the conversation between smell and taste begins when food is set before us. We extend our noses over the plate, and immediately our mouths begin to water.
For me, some foods don't need to be within fork distance to trigger those neurotransmitters. Here are five distinctive smells, in no particular order, that make my taste buds go from zero to salivate.
Krystal burgers
I once accompanied a friend through a Krystal drive-through without ordering for myself because I thought I wasn't hungry. I wasn't hungry until I smelled the steam rising from those mighty mini burgers. One whiff, and my Krystal craving began. It's a simple stack of bun, beef, pickle, onions and mustard, but at its most potent, hot off the grill, there's nothing like it.
Subway bread
Not to slight the heavenly loaves produced by Niedlov's, The Bread Basket or the Bluff View Bakery, but the proliferation of Subway restaurants, the Starbucks of sandwich makers, gives their bread an edge. One location in particular comes to mind: the Subway inside the outlet mall in Crossville, Tenn. It's the only restaurant in the mall, so the aroma of fresh-baked bread has no competition. And with no wagging entrance doors to weaken the scent, the "eau de dough" perfumes every corridor. Its wafting essence hits you as you enter the mall and - cartoon style - curls its finger under your nose and draws you to the counter.
Rembrandt's coffee
This one's tricky. My customary way of drinking coffee, two parts cream and sugar to one part joe, is a blend purists wouldn't call coffee. So even if I don't know beans about the proper way to drink it, I think the smell of the fresh roast is perfection. Rembrandt's Coffee House roasts the beans for its specialty coffees daily, the aroma permeating the early morning air around High Street. And even if I opt for a hot chocolate with my pastry, it's the smell of the coffee that draws me in and gets me percolating.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts
When it's glowing, the red "Hot Now" sign is a beacon for Brainerd Road commuters, but Krispy Kreme doughnuts are hard to resist at any time. My car can smell them too. Lola Corolla has been known to turn into the parking lot of her own free will. Apparently, she sits there breathing in the aroma - I think it passes through the radiator - while I go inside to order my Original Glazed. There's a drive-through for convenience, but if you order at the counter, you can watch these doughy morsels move along the conveyor belt, including the spot where they're glooped in glaze. I recently discovered that these doughnuts are made with a shortening blend with 0 grams of evil trans fat. That news made me so happy, I've started ordering mine with chocolate icing.
Master Blasters barbecue
There are times when I think I could embrace a vegetarian diet - and then I smell barbecue. A pork loin smoked over hickory wood overnight makes my mouth water like nothing else. One of my favorite barbecue joints is now on East Third Street. It's a perfectly fine location, but for many years, Master Blasters occupied the corner of Central Avenue and Rossville Boulevard. There was something about the geography of that intersection that enveloped the succulent smell rising from the smoker and made stopping for a red light an exercise in temptation.