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As I was getting ready for work today, I was thinking that some of my favorite products are the pricy fragrances from Demeter, which replicate various everyday scents. My absolute favorite -- and the one I sprayed on this morning -- is condensed milk, which smells just like the tasty combination of milk and sugar that my grandmother used to make pies. I'm also fond of devils food, even though it seems to be missing an apostrophe.
The Demeter site gives detailed and irrelevant descriptions of the background of whatever inspired the fragrance. For example, we learn that the inventor of condensed milk, Gail Borden, first thought of the idea of nonperishable milk during a transatlantic voyage in 1852, when the cows on board became seasick and a child died for lack of milk. Through experimentation, he discovered that by heating milk and adding sugar, he could create a canned milk that wouldn't spoil. Condensed milk was patented in 1856 and (though this part isn't on the site) became extremely popular after it was used as a high-calorie ration for soldiers during the Civil War.*
Demeter also has other more, well, esoteric scents, such as glue (sorry, sniffing it will not make you high), dirt (supposed to smell as if it were freshly dug from a Pennsylvania farm), vinyl (replicating the aroma of 1970s car seats), and the inevitable surrealist this is not a pipe.
*Most of Borden's other inventions were, apparently, not nearly as succesful.
11 comments:
Mmm...I knew I liked you - I have Gin & Tonic and Dulce de Leche at home, and I've bought Dirt and Tomato for other people. I love the whimsy and the singlemindedness of their stuff. And their stuff really does smell like what it says it smells like.
Do they have Duck boats where you are? Here in Philly there's a company taking amphibious landing vehicles, converting them to sighseeing use, and driving them straight into the Delaware. Borden was just ahead of his time.
I used to wear Tonka Bean essential oil, and when I walked through a room, people would always sniff the air and ask "who is smoking a pipe?"
Okay, I've never worn any of these scents, but I have to say that article on Borden was great!
I have to give him props for trying so hard...poor bugger.
Funny post on Demeter. Rain I might try but some of these scents are...well...just weird.
Interesting article on Borden. It's sad that he lost his wife and four year old son at the same time.
These scents sound amazing. I'll have to figure out where to get them. I like the Borden article too. I love hearing stories of people taking risks and going for it!
I tend not to wear perfumes of any kind, but I liked this post because honestly, I never thought about how in my own period, before the 1850s, ships would have had to have cows on board! Amazing. And even more reason to think about how badly people smelled in the past.
I have the Ginger Ale. Unfortunately, I've noticed that the scent tends to fade within hours. If Gucci only replicated scents by Demeter I'd be in business. Or they would be in business. You know what I mean.
still born you're absolutely right about the fast-fading scents, which is why I keep some at work as well.
ruby they are kinda odd. And I didn't even include a few of the more bizarre ones -- like Earthworm.
Yum. Condensed Milk. Love to eat it with a spoon right out of the can!
I might just have to find some of that stuff.
magpie I have Dulce de Leche too. And Dirt, but I got that one by accident.
my reality I love eating it too. (if you admitted it, I guess I can)
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