can you taste smells?

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This is on my mind because I just cleaned the oven. GAG! I had to keep spitting because I could taste the fumes. But it didn't bother my husband at all.

I tried googling to see if this is common or not, but was unable to find anything.

Definitely, yes. It can sometimes work in my favour, and sometimes it doesn't. I also remember looking at pictures of food and being able to vividly imagine the taste as a child.

Most of taste is smell. I hate being in an elevator with someone wearing too much perfume/cologne, I end up tasting it for what feels like forever.

Of course. Smell and taste are connected. So is sight, though. There have been studies done where someone is blindfolded and handed an onion and told it was an apple. People couldn't tell they were being lied to, even when they bit into the onion.

The senses are fascinating, really.

yes I can, it was heightened to intolerable levels during pregnancy (all 4) but most times I can bear it... or get away from it okay. Unless another of my senses is on overload at the same time, then ACK! I retreat double time, even if I have to leave without accomplishing my goal.

^This. You can't taste anything when you've cold for this very reason.

Last edited by pree10shun on 14 Aug 2011, 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oh lord... just thinking about eggs was enough to make me puke during pregnancy, much less smelling them.

So it's ordinary for people to taste smells then? My husband doesn't have a very good sense of smell, so maybe that's why he didn't.

I have often heard you can't taste during a cold but have never found it to be true for me.

yes, I can taste smells. makes it a b***h to breathe when something objectionable is in the air. if I breathe through either my mouth or my nose my gag reflex is triggered.

Definitely.
Pinch your nose closed while eating a banana - the thing is rendered practically tasteless.

Yes.

Also, for further reading on "crossing senses", look up synesthesia.

Is it actually a form os synesthesia? We wondered if my son might have that, because he described something as tasting black when he was a toddler. Doesn't seem to happen anymore though, unless he just doesn't mention it.

It's debatable, but by definition it can be. Taste and smell are so closely connected so some don't think it's genuine synesthesia.

I can taste the smells of bacon and butter icing.

Yes. this was what i was thinking. I thought taste was mostly made up of smell

Yes, that's why they tell you to plug your nose when you dislike the smell of something....but of course, I've known that was a lie (because you can still taste it).

I think either 90 or 95% of all taste is smell. That's the only thing that keeps me from killing my sense of smell because there are so many awful smells in the world that I dislike and it'd be cool to get rid of my sense of smell....but then I couldn't taste yummy food so I guess that's the price I pay.