An open letter to diners in Memphis:
PLEASE. I’m begging you. If you can’t cut out the perfume and the cologne, please cut back.
First of all, it’s tacky to overdo the scent. I know your mama told you that someone is supposed to be close enough to kiss you before they smell you. If she didn’t, well, I’m someone’s mama and I’m telling you now. No matter how much you like it, there will be others who don’t.
Second, your loud perfume/cologne interferes with the meals of the diners around you. I want to smell my wine and my food–that’s part of the experience–and when you’re sitting next to me drenched in Eau de Too Much, I can’t.
It’s true that I’m particularly sensitive to fragrances. I get a sniffy nose, a tickly throat and eventually, if I don’t get away from some scents, a blinding headache. But even those who aren’t physically affected by it can still be offended by it.
And yes, of course, I’ve had recent experiences with this and that’s why I’m blogging about it. I thought I might have to leave a restaurant not too long ago because of a woman’s perfume. It filled the room as she walked through and it was just luck that she was seated as far away from me as possible.
So, enough said. Please think of others when you’re spritzing or dabbing.
Very truly yours,
Jennifer
Rants
Responses to “On my (fragrance-free) soap box”
November 15th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Especially when you are traveling by air. There is nothing worse than sitting next to a heavily fragranced body for several hours.
November 15th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Haha! Last time it happened to me in a restaurant, it was a man’s cologne.
My husband is one of those with super-sensitive noses. He generally gets hit about thirty seconds before I notice. “Incoming,” he says, and then suddenly my steak tastes just like lavender. Ack!
But the worst offender I’ve been around recently wasn’t in a restaurant, but a movie theater, and it wasn’t perfume, it was food. This guy was eating Slim Jim’s next to us. Have you ever noticed how strongly Slim Jim’s smell? I was instantly snatched back to my grade school days. Whose bright idea was it to sell these stinky things in movie theaters?
November 15th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Perfume and cologne are especially bad at wine tastings. When you want the cleanest atmosphere possible, with nothing to interfere with the scent of the wines, BAM! there’s someone’s floral and spicy or woodsy perfume to get in the way. And here’s another factor: scented candles. I was at a tasting of Italian wines once (put on by a local wholesale distributor) and I noticed that all the white wines smelled like spicy vanilla. I looked around and sure nuff, scented candles were burning on all the tables. I left right then.
November 16th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Ear, nose & throat doctors’ ofcs. request that patients not wear fragrances to appt’s, as they may interfere with testing & other patients’ comfort in the waiting area & treatment rooms. I like a nice cologne as much as the next person, but not when it gets to me ahead of the wearer. I know exactly what Allie’s husband means when he says, “Incoming.” I have friends who burn very strongly scented candles in their home & everything that comes out of there smells like vanilla. They share books with me, & even the books & plastic bags they bring them in smell like the candle scent. They are apparently immune to it by now, but it has permeated everything in the house. Not the worst smell for a home to have, but it could very well affect people who are sensitive to highly perfumed scents.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
I draw the line at not burning scented candles I like in my own home for fear of offending someone at a later date, but I’ve always firmly believed that the best scent a person can have when socializing is that of soap.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
I didn’t mean to imply that I am offended at my friends’ candle scent - I rather like it, as a matter of fact. I just feel for people who have allergies because they wouldn’t last long in a place with that strong scent around, especially if it followed them home. I agree that someone who smells of nice soap is a pleasure to be around. I always like to use the soap or bath gel that matches the cologne I’m wearing, which means I can wear less of the cologne & don’t risk spraying on too much.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:34 am
Well, I was wondering how long it would take for the anti-smoking nazis to launch a new campaign against cologne or perfume or whatever happens to be the new perceived irritant now that you’ve chased smokers into the cold. As a restaurant owner/operator for over twenty years, I find the intolerance level increasing exponentially as the safety of the internet affords ample opportunity for the behavior police to exhibit their pent-up bullying. While I might agree that there are times when a guest could gag a maggot with some foul-smelling potion, I can’t really recall being overwhelmed to the point of even thinking about asking someone to leave my joint because they reek. Why don’t you guys go after the rude customers who treat servers like imbeciles, or who insist upon letting everyone in the place know how important they are by talking on cellphones at ear-shattering volumes and then complain to mgmt that their servers aren’t attentive enough. Personally, when I smell a nice scent on either males or females, I like to ask the name. It usually gives them a kick. As far as I’m concerned you do your shopping with your feet; if you don’t like the smoke or perfume or smell of frying bacon( probably next on the hit list), go somewhere else that doesn’t offend you.
We are becoming a society of whiners and complainers, me-firsters and all-around insufferable jerks. Lighten up! By the way, if your olfactory senses are bothered by perfume, try cleaning out a grease trap.
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