I'd rather be in France.

{Thankful November} 21: Smells

November 29th, 2011 | Rachel

Join me in the comments or on your own blog as I give thanks every day this month.

I’m thankful for all of my senses, but smell is something I’ve developed a whole new appreciation for since working at the bakery.

Sometimes I show up at work and the whole kitchen smells like warm chocolate cake.  Other times it smells like butter, sugar and vanilla. When I open in the mornings, the kitchen often smells like toasted bread from the freshly baked muffins and scones with a hint of chocolate chip cookies. The walk-in refrigerator downstairs often smells like oranges and fresh ginger.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving, the kitchen frequently had an odd vegetative scent resulting from the dried beans used to pre-bake the pie crusts.  Another unexpected scent is that of boiled potatoes, which are used in the dough for the cinnamon rolls and the sticky buns.

When I am working out front, I am surrounded with the aroma of fresh ground coffee beans whenever we brew a new pot of coffee or pull a shot of espresso.  Some of the teas also have unmistakable scents: hot cinnamon spice, green, and pearl jasmine. Every now and then a foreign scent will waft in from outside, like cigarette smoke or asphalt.  Yesterday a woman came in the bakery whose perfume was so strong it just about knocked me out.

Good or bad (but preferably good), I am thankful for the many scents that enhance my day.