The Nose Knows

     Blogging has gotten easier since my husband and my friends have begun sending me ideas.  Hubby Mike emailed some information this week about the pay scale for sommeliers or wine stewards.  I began thinking about the sense of smell and the closely related sense of taste. Who's got the keenest senses of taste and smell?  Kids, of course.
     "What stinks?" seems to come out of their mouths daily.  Whatever is "stinking" could be a pile of dirty socks, the corned beef and cabbage simmering on the stove, or mom's new after bath spray.  Any new odor is labeled as stink.  The same goes for tastes.  Advice to "just try it" is usually followed by the child reluctantly placing a miniscule morsel into his piehole, chewing accompanied by exaggerated facial puckering, and forceful ejection of the new foodstuff.

Yummers!

     Little super tasters and smellers rarely retain their skills.  Those who do can turn it into a pretty good living.
     Sommeliers, those who who pass the stringent three day exam and become members of the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers, can earn about $140,000 annually at fine restaurants or luxury resorts.  The American Chapter has 118 members with about 5 new members entering each year.
     So what if you are more of a smeller than a taster?  There is always the perfume industry.  The Nose or Le Nez is responsible for developing new fragrances.  In the past, people usually got into this line of work through family contacts.  These days, perfume companies run training programs open to company employees.  The University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom offers a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Perfumery.
     There other jobs that revolve around smelling and tasting.  Did you see the 60 Minutes piece about the Swiss company Givaudan?  Some people view Givaudan as masters of addiction for the tastes and smells they develop and market as food additives.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7389748n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox
I'm pretty sure there's a little dose of Givaudan in Wawa soft pretzels.  I can't resist them.
     Mike Rowe, the hottest thing in denim since Norm Abram, created boot flavored jelly beans at the Jelly Belly factory.
http://www.dirtyjobsmikerowe.com/2011/02/07/mike-rowe-creates-boot-flavor-jelly-belly-jellybean/
An Easter basket full of those would be the equivalent of a Christmas stocking full of coal, I suppose.  You know, I would love to see a kid wrinkle up his face and spit out candy.