I may have given the wrong impression last week with my husband’s smell dictionary. He doesn’t simply have entries that tell me how I smell. Rather, he has many entries about smells for which I’ve specifically requested a description. And yes, I did ask him to describe what my body odor smelled like. I think I went for a good jog and then had him take a good whiff before he started writing (yes, we have a unique marriage).
Anyway, since I can’t really taste Basil or Thyme, I asked Alan to create an entry for these two spices, which he ended up combining into it’s own entry:
Like a densely woven sweater in November, Basil and Thyme is
tied to the season’s passing. It is female. She is young, just passed by twenty, but she dresses in old-fashioned clothes, in scarves and wraps, and stays huddled, cloaked, with resignation wrinkled round her eyes. But there is beauty to her hunched shoulders; they arc in delicately, like a sculptor molded them; they fade into her frame in easy curves, and the winter breezes glide around them. She has dark hair, and the inner peace that can take heavy things and make them light, simply by acknowledging that they are unavoidable, and simply true. It is the crunch of feet on leaves. Level of Intensity: 8 (12-23-03)
I love the characterization here, but wonder if you all would agree with the above description as it is rather specific. I’m also curious as to what these spices add to cooking or specific dishes.
So, what do you think?
- Jun 30, 12:20 PM
- 3 Comments
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1 · Janet · Jun 30, 04:35 PM
I think his description is spot on, especially for dried basil. I am more experienced with basil than thyme, so I will reflect on that. (I have it growing in my herb garden as we speak.) Fresh basil glows yellow with a warm sweetness that is followed by a cool, dry, lingering breeze. It is aromatic, so the smell is unmistakable. It can overpower a dish if it isn’t countered with other herbs or spices, such as oregano or garlic. I associate basil with an uplifting freshness, a splash of sunlight, possibly because so many of my favorite summer dishes call for fresh basil. When dried and crumbled, basil picks up the old mustiness that Alan so aptly describes. Fresh basil straight out of the garden as a definite “zip” to it. It is young, flightly, but quick to tire, needing a nap after it wears itself out with a sudden burst of energy. Dried basil is less potent. It is on the verge of retirement. It adds much to a dish, but it lacks the “zing” of the fresh leaves.
2 · Janet · Jun 30, 04:37 PM
I think his description is spot on, especially for dried basil. I am more experienced with basil than thyme, so I will reflect on that. (I have it growing in my herb garden as we speak.) Fresh basil glows yellow with a warm sweetness that is followed by a cool, dry, lingering breeze. It is aromatic, so the smell is unmistakable. It can overpower a dish if it isn’t countered with other herbs or spices, such as oregano or garlic. I associate basil with an uplifting freshness, a splash of sunlight, possibly because so many of my favorite summer dishes call for fresh basil. When dried and crumbled, basil picks up the old mustiness that Alan so aptly describes. Fresh basil straight out of the garden as a definite “zip” to it. It is young, flightly, but quick to tire, needing a nap after it wears itself out with a sudden burst of energy. Dried basil is less potent. It is on the verge of retirement. It adds much to a dish, but it lacks the “zing” of the fresh leaves.
3 · Janet · Jun 30, 04:38 PM
Oops! Sorry about the double posting. My computer has been acting funny lately…