"Bad Smells" that you like...
 

Is there any smell that you enjoy that other people normally gag at? I've heard that smell is a powerful evoker of memory, more than any of the other senses; so that a particular smell can instantly bring back a vivid memory of some other time that you smelled that smell.

I think that this accounts, in part, for liking the smell of certain things that smell bad to other people. Here's my list:

Crude oil: My dad worked maintenance at a nearby oil refinery for years, and he came home covered with it every night. And when the wind blew the wrong way, the whole town smelled like crude. So I always take a lungful whenever I drive by a refinery; reminds me of the good old days.

Cowshit: My junior high school was across the street from a dairy farm. On warm days, you couldn't smell anything else. And Dad, an old school farmboy, fertilized the plants around our suburban tract home with manure. We had flies on the lawn. The other kids used to tease me about it, and all I could do was shrug. It was true. Again, it's an association with the good old days.

Marigolds. Talk about strong. But our yard was full of them. I'll take a deep whiff even today.

Skunk. No excuse for this; but I don't mind the smell at all. My wife thinks that an early life full of the smell of crude oil and cowshit burned out my nostrils. But as long as the skunk doesn't spray on me, I think the smell is strong but okay.

What about you? Are there any "stinky" odors that you like because of good associations, or just because?

Skunk, I smoked alot of weed as a kid and now everytime I smell a skunk it takes me back to that special special time!

gasoline... :) some people hate it. I love it. Dont know why...

I also dont mind skunk. It just doesn't bother me.

gasoline, my father worked for the pipeline and going to work with him when I was little and getting to climb the tanks at the tank farms in TX, AL, LA, and MS were some of the best times I remember. Once we settled in GA (we moved 18 times before I was 8) they didnt allow me to climb them anymore.

Garlic breath, It just smells good. I get hungry when I smell it.

Gasoline
Burning Rubber

I love cars, hehe...

Me too... I'd add

Differential gear oil and hot, muddy exhaust (I used to 4wheel a lot)

Good times...


Oh... and there is one kind of hairspray that smells like strawberry kind of, that my first GF used to wear 17 years ago. Even today, if I smell it, it makes me think of her.

I second cow shit. Takes me right back.

Hoppes #9 is one.

The smell of open sewers evokes strong memories of Subic Bay. Crossing the bridge over Shit River (I knew the real name once, but it's lost from my rapidly deteriorating memory) from Naval Station to Olongapo City and tossing money to the virgins under the bridge (I always tossed bills, not coins). I really, really loved being in the Philippines. Wonderfully warm and friendly people who always made me feel welcome. Most of them anyway. After Marcos was deposed, the New People's Army (just another bunch of selfish rat-bastard communists who thought that they should be the HMF'sIC in charge) began operating there.

Trips to Baguio City or out to the one of the islands. A long, long 3 weeks operating in the hills around San Miguel. Quiet evenings on the beach. Rowdy nights at the Zanzibar and Marilyn's.

Getting old kinda sucks.

I love the smell of my husband's BO.

diseal exhaust....dont know why just do.

I love the smell of Ethylene Glycol - antifreeze... it smells sweet.

that, and the smell of nasty pond water... reminds me of fishing when i was a kid.

Chlorine - Reminds me of going to center parcs as a little kiddy, good times.

I don't mind skunk either. It's not something I'd like to smell all of the time, but every now and then, it's nice to smell skunk.

I absolutely crave the smell of gasoline sometimes. :-/

Gasoline, :lol:

geee I guess the smell of gasoline isnt as "bad" as we thought it was hehehe

Gasoline and Gunpowder. The smell after fireworks on the fourth of July is great.

I would have to go with my own farts :-)

:lol: LOL!!! I was wondering how long before that came up...

I've always liked the smell of gasoline, I can't associate the reason why with anything, but I've always loved it.

2-Stroke Oil Smoke

Gasoline - "Fuel is pumping engines. Burning hard loose and clean. Churning my direction. Quench my thirst with gasoline."

Gunpowder

Gasoline, gunpowder, burnt electronics, cow shit.

I don't know why, or the explanations are too confusing, but I tend to like those smells.

diseal exhaust too, used to work at a car shop and there is nothing better than that.
smely feet too, just my own though

haha..I know, I read every post on the thread and was wondering how this wasn't posted. Had to do it. :)

gas, fresh cut grass (some people can't stand it), smoke, horse maneuer (I love mucking the stalls!), grease (like the smell of someone working on a car), garlic

That female musky smell, you know what I'm talking baout.

smells I like: gasoline, gunpowder, cow manure, skunks

smells i dislike: freshly cut grass and .. hmm there are other smells i cant stand, but i cant think of them off the top of my head... my mind does a good job blocking those out :)

Durian, either you know what I'm talking about or you don't. The taste ain't bad either.

Grandma used to dump her coffee grounds and ashtrays in the trashcan. When I smell that combination in the breakroom trashcan at work, I always remember her.

And I have to admit, I have no problem sniffing it up when I rip one in the car with the windows up.

Cordite!

I know, its scary...

Diesel fumes. Tires(new tires...was in a tire store the other day and it smelled so good). Plastic in general. Burning wood. Wood in general. Paint. Rubbing alcohol.
Bleach.

Paste in a pot (the kind we used to have in kindergarden in the 50's & 60's)

cow or horse manure

rotten peaches

engines (when they've been removed from a car/truck for repair, I love walking around them & smelling them)

caves (something earthy & old & slightly scary about that smell)

fresh sweat on a man's chest, neck or back

newly pressed / hot-combed hair

Nitromethane exhaust.
Gasoline (enough to smell but not overpowering)
Burnt stuff in general, especially wood and paper
Gunpowder
Duct tape

Gasoline...I see a pattern here...

Gasoline, moth balls, freshly ironed polyester

frshcut grass and gasoline. Kind of wierd with the gasoline trend. I am sure there must be some sort of common reasoning behind it.

Yup, another vote for gasoline. I have liked the smell since a little kid but have always been careful not to inhale too deeply!!!!

So at what point of acceptance does a bad smell become a not-bad smell? I mean, if we all like it, then it can't be THAT bad, eh?