The nose knows, and when that sense of smell suddenly disappears, we realize just how important it is to life -- especially for the enjoyment of food. That’s the impetus behind science and food writer Harold McGee’s new book, Nose Dive: A Field Guide To The World’s Smells.
After McGee lost his sense of smell due to the lingering effects of a sinus infection, he tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, "It's the kind of thing where you don't notice something until it's gone," he says. "I spent less and less time cooking. There was no point in going out to restaurants because I wasn't really going to enjoy it." (He eventually got his sense of smell back.)
In the book, McGee explains how cooking breaks down fat and protein molecules to create aroma, and how some aromas in foods we enjoy -- say, cheese -- can also smell repulsive, like vomit. (Hint: it’s all in the way microbes break it down, baby.)
Sandy Kretschmer imagines her son Henry returning home from college, dropping his bags and then giving her a big hug. But she knows the reality of this homecoming may be a lot different.
"I'll probably have a mask on, and he'll have a mask on when I hug him," she says.
Henry plans to take a COVID-19 test a few days before he leaves Iowa State University where he's a junior, and he'll self-quarantine until he heads home to Chicago.
The Kretschmers are taking these precautions because some family members have underlying conditions that put them at higher risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19.
Thanksgiving will definitely look different this year as families grapple with whether and how to see each other safely, particularly when one member has been mixing it up at college.
Experts say masking, socializing outdoors as much as possible, and rethinking that big dinner around the table are ways to keep the coronavirus at bay over Thanksgiving.
The latest research shows that in fact, masks do protect their wearers, as well as others, from becoming infected with COVID-19 through virus-laden droplets expelled when talking and breathing.
While wearing them to protect others is still the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's primary reason to recommend mask-wearing, the CDC cited growing evidence in a new report that even cloth masks can reduce the amount of infectious droplets inhaled by the wearer.
And the protection is even better if the mask is worn properly and consistently, whether it’s on a plane or in a household where someone has been infected.
Dr. Scott Segal, a professor and chair of anesthesiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, told NPR earlier this year: Hold up the fabric to a bright light or to the sun. If you can "see the light outlining the individual fibers in the fabric, it's probably not a good filter. And if you can't, it's probably going to filter better." He and other researchers say a tight-weave 100% cotton material is a good bet.
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