The survivors of the concentration camps in the 1940s, who were
severely emaciated, told interviewers their sense of smell was so
enhanced, it was possible to smell a potato peel a quarter of a mile
away.
    Though we have tales of opulent feasts in court, the majority of
people probably ate much more sparingly, and their olfactory senses
would have been important for survival.

Moving someone from the past to the present, they would be
overwhelmed by fragrances not present in their own time: gas fumes,
and chemical smog for starters, and fake perfumes instead of the
luscious true essence fragrances they would be accustomed to.

Nest



On Jul 10, 2013, at 11:20 AM, Jenna wrote:

Richard Pryor had a bit about visiting Africa, and giving a car ride
to a tribesman. Pryor described his reaction to the local's less-
washed-than-modern-Amercan body odor as, "They're my people, but @;&
$!", while the tribesman was clearly thinking, "Oh my god, THE
COLOGNE!". Pryor indicated that both suffered in polite silence and
both were glad to part company.

Jenna


On Jul 9, 2013, at 5:08 PM, Stefan li Rous
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> LoL.
>
> I've only heard this discussed a few times in the 20+ years I've
> been on the various SCA newsgroups and mail lists, but. . .
>
> What would our olfactory senses think if one of us was suddenly
> thrust 600 years back into medieval Europe?
>
> and conversely, since I doubt it works only one way…
>
> What would someone from that time period feel about the smells if
> they were suddenly thrust into our time?
>
> What do you think they would notice most?
>
> Sound is likely another sense that would be noticed.
>
> Stefan
>
> On Jul 9, 2013, at 1:19 PM, Jenna <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Finola O'Clary is still a non-smoker since going in the hospital
>> last November. (She's still pissed, too.). The latest fallout
>> from this is that she has complained about a couple of odors that
>> she never ever even noticed before, and she has hinted that I
>> over-season a certain dish by using the same seasonings that she
>> herself used for decades.
>>
>> In related news, word is that Satan's new ice skates are really keen.
>>
>> Jenna
>
> --------
> THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
> Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
> **** See Stefan's Florilegium files at: http://www.florilegium.org
> ****