Smellscapes of Japan - Part THREE

Continuing to design the smellscape of Japan, today we are going to explore Japan's natural sources. if you missed the previous articles click on the link for JAPAN I, JAPAN II

BAMBOO - TAKE

Bamboo is deeply rooted in the Japanese culture due to its structure, roots and abandance and it has several meanings to the Japanese people such as flexibility, strengh, properity, purity and innocence.

FINE BAMBOO HANDCRAFT - JAPAN

It is a perennial evergreen in the grass plant family and it can literally be found everywhere in Japan, and because it is strong, fast-growing and a readily available source it not only became a symbol in Japan, but also vastily used for handicraft, construction, Japanese cuisine, religious rituals and many other modern applications. As you will find everywhere, the scent released from bamboo will also be capture by your nose all the time. It is one of the most natural smellscapes of Japan for sure!

SAGANO BAMBOO FOREST - ARASHIYAMA, KYOTO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

The most magestic and peaceful way to appreciate bamboo in Japan is visiting the Sagano Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto.

Walking through one of the lagest bamboo groves of the world can be really an unique experience. You will be very lucky if you get there during a windy day like I did. You will hear and watch very long green swaying in the wind and creaking and its leafs rustling.

Just out of curiosity, remember the 100 Sites of Good Fragrance of the Ministry of Environment of Japan that I mention in my first article about Japan? Well, the same Ministry has also catalogued the 100 Soundscapes of Japan - where local population can appreciate "the wonders of the ear", and Sagano Bamboo Forest is one of them. Not listed in the 100 Kaori Landscape list thou...

BRIDE TO BE IN SAGANO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

Sagano Bamboo Forest is also the darling location of the brides-to-be.
You will see many couples having their pre-wedding photo shoot there, as bamboo is the symbol of purity and flexibility :-)))

Walking through the long path you will also capture the greeny, fresh, grassy, straw-like scent spread by the wind. I take it it smells differently each season of the year. I came in the end of winter and beginning of spring, so it was cold and humid (it had rained earlier that day, but when we got there the sun was coming out). We capture a very heavy smell of wet straw, wet soil and a hint of leaf-y green scent.

BAMBOO SCENSE PACKAGE - JAPAN

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

There is also a bamboo handcraft souvenir shop close to the entrance where you will not only find beautiful objects made of bamboo, but also a woody, incens-y smell that is really very relaxing! They sell bamboo-scented incence, which I purchased and I love it very much.

PIERIS JAPONICA - SUZURAN - SPRING SNOW

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

"Suzu" means bell and "Ran" means orchid in Japanese. So, Suzuran are little orchid bells. They are also the symbol for hapiness, unconscious beauty and purity and they smell DIVINE.

These waxy, milky-translucid, almost transparent, little bells are heavenly scented!!!
It is like finding French luxurious perfume in clusters hanging on a bush. As French muguet is greener, jasmine-like and sorta indolic scented, the Japanese Spring snow has less green quality, more flowery-honeyd accent. 

You will find them everywhere in Japan blooming during spring. I think gueishas wore them in their hair once. They are unique to Japan, so it is most likely to be marked as a smellscape just as Sakura.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOSSOM

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - TOKYO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

Cherry bloom season change every year and it depends mostly on the weather. The first bloom - kaika - starts in Japan usually at the end of March, but most blooms lasts till the end of April.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - OSAKA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

It is not a secret that my trip to Japan was all about the cherry bloom experience - hanami - or "flower viewing". I travelled all over Japan in the hunt for the most beautiful cherry tree blooms and frankly, it is really hard to choose which location I loved the most. I was mesmerized by the Himeji Castle site. The Castle is surrounded by 100s of cherry trees and the combination of the 1000s delicate flowers and the white splendor of the castle construction was really amazing.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - HiMEJI - HIMEJI CASTLE

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

One single tree in Kyoto really touched me for its beauty. Unfortunately it touched also the heart of 1000s of other Japanese that were almost killing each other to take the better shot.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - KYOTO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

More blooms...

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - TOKYO KAIKA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - OSAKA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

To tell the truth not all cherry trees are fragrant. Some have a almost unperceptible smell. The ones that do have a scent it smells more or less like freesias or crushed almonds.

You will find cherry scent extract in many other places thou.

At cherry blossom season many Japanese treats are made with cherry flowers, such as Sakuramochi - a cherry blossom rice cake; Sakura manju - a cherry blossom bean dough; Sakura yokan - cherry blossom jelly cake; Cherry Higashi- a dried cherry sweet among many others.

Frankly I didn't find Japanese desserts that good, but they are beautiful to look and to smell.

SAKURA - CHERRY FLOWER SWEETS - SAKURA-AN - KYOTO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

SAKURA - CHERRY CHEESE CAKE - HIROSHIMA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

Although you will find cherry blooms only once a year in Japan, the scent of cherry trees and cherry treats must be marked in Japan's smellscape.

MiN NEW YORK - Um passeio olfativo por Nova Iorque III - SOHO

Nova Iorque vista de cima durante o evento Elements
crédito fotográfico: + Q Perfume Blog

Para quem acompanha o blog vai lembrar da minha viagem para Nova Iorque em 2012 - Passeio olfativo - parte I e passeio olfativo parte II. A verdade é que em NYC me sinto em casa e desde então já voltei para essa cidade maravilhosa algumas (muitas) vezes mais. Um dos meus lugares favoritos fora o High Line e o Village é o SOHO - pelos seu charme arquitetônico e as muitas lojas de perfumes.

O bairro é fashionista e já foi no passado mais charmoso da Ilha, porém atualmente muito frequentado por turistas. No verão é um pouco irritante ter que lutar por um lugarzinho na calçada (mas é melhor do que no inverno, época que muitas lojas não abrem as portas antes das duas da tarde).

Bom, seja qual for a estação do ano, prepare a carteira porque é lá que você realmente vai passar o cartão muuuuitas vezes! Lojas como a Molton Brown, Aesop, Osswald, Sabon, Le Labo, SMN, Bond Nº9, Fresh, Atelier Cologne estão espalhadas pelas ruas entre as marcas famosas Chanel, John Varvatos, Moncler, etc... e pontos gourmets como o famoso Balthazar e L'Ecole

bolos  L'Ecole

crédito fotográfico: + Q Perfume Blog

Se você está ainda aqui...(kkk) :

Parada obrigatória para todos amantes da perfumaria de nicho entre a Prince e Houston - mais precisamente na Crosby Street no número 117 é a loja/estúdio MiN NEW YORK.

MiN NEW YORK
crédito fotográfico: + Q Perfume Blog

Um  toque de elegância no meio desse bairro efervescente MiN NEW YORK é mais do que uma loja; é um ponto de encontro de blogueiros, donos de marcas, ávidos compradores de perfume, cientistas ligados ao estudo do olfato e curiosos (inclusive, dentro da loja existe um local especial para esses encontros). 

MiN NEW YORK

crédito fotográfico: + Q Perfume Blog

Sofás de couro e um bar olfativo são ocupados por frequentadores assíduos e visitantes ocasionais durante a semana ou em eventos promovidos por Mindy a curadora da loja.  Acolhedor e hipster como o dono e fundador Chad Murawczyk, o tb chamado estúdio possui além de perfumes, produtos para asseio pessoal (grooming em Inglês), velas e outros objetos de decoração e um serviço de marketing olfativo e de concierge olfativo*. Marcas como Mona di Orio, Puredistance, Heely, Keiko Mecheri, Jovoy e muitas outras de altíssima qualidade ou difíceis de encontrar estão expostas de uma forma lindíssima, em móveis chiquérrimos entre outros objetos de decoração.
Como era de se esperar Chad e Mindy ampliaram sua coleção de perfumes de nicho com o desenvolvimento de uma própria chamada de MiN NEW YORK SCENT STORIES, composta por 11 fragrâncias EDP diferenciadas, criadas e inspiradas a partir de memórias e conceitos olfativos da dupla. São elas Dune Road, Long Board, Dahab, Moon Dust, Momento, Barrel, Old School Bench, Magic Circus, Onsen, Shaman, e The Botanist.

MiN NEW YORK SCENT STORIES SAMPLES

crédito fotográfico: + Q Perfume Blog

Dando uma pequena prévia das avaliações que virão em breve: MAGIC CIRCUS EDP é uma fragrância gourmet com notas de nozes cristalizadas, algodão doce, caramelo, bergamota, pimenta rosa, ládano, gerânio, patchouli e lascas de madeira. Aqui não espere por uma fragrância do tipo Angel de TM ou Jeux de Peau de Serge Lutens. Este fica mais para o tipo de perfume que passeia por notas gustativas sem colocar o pé literalmente na cozinha - como Bois de Farine da L'Artisan. 

Fique antenado (a) para ler as resenhas dos perfumes da coleção!BJOSSSS

SEX, FOOD & PERFUMES - PART II

But how to explain the relationship between sex and food? Is it biological?

My guess is that it is evolutionary. As all carnivore animals, we are all hunting - mating beings. That said, he who brings the food gets to mate with the female. Food and sex were and still are the main factors of human survival in this planet, therefore the ability to supply food establishes the relationship between a male and a female in which men demonstrate how well they are able to provide and take care of themselves and their future offspring. 

Back in 2009 I interviewed Dr. Avery Gilbert, a smell scientist, author of the book What the Nose Knows and blogger about the sense of smell and some aspects of their influence on human behavior. Back then he said that smell preferences has a lot to do with our biological and genetic constitution:

"...People often disagree about individual smells but there is agreement about general classes of smells. For example, fruity and floral notes are liked, while fecal and rotten ones are not. If there were no broad trends in preference there would be no perfume industry. Are odor preferences due to learning and experience? That’s the default assumption of most psychologists, who tend to dislike biological theories. I think the more we look for biological or even genetic bases for differences in odor perception, the more we will find".

Still interested in his opinion about human behavior and scents I asked him last week what were the food aromas that in his opinion triggered sexual attraction.  "Sweet notes and ripe fruit" he answered. Sharing the same line of thought that I have on human evolution and social interaction and also choosing fruits like Norman Veenker, he thinks that these notes in a hunter-gathering world would occur briefly in season, and would be associated with indulgent feasting; a nice compliment to sex. Also fruits were rare, desirable and exciting to find, therefore they were treasured, just like lovers.

I raise another question - Is it possible that linking food to sex has to do with the fact that we are breast fed mammals? Is it possible that men are sexually attracted and aroused by female breasts because they still have that satisfying rewarding sensation of being fed in their memory? An equation Food = female = sex?

Researching this subject I found out that nipple stimulation induces the production of oxytocin and its release not only can result to female sexual arousal, but also increases the feeling of bond and trust. Normally the stimulation that brings the nipple to pop out (erection) is for breast feeding. Funny thing is that when humans are not breastfeeding they are also able to feel the same sensation during breast stimulation as a foreplay and erotic stimuli (just like they do when breastfeeding).

Breasts hold two basic functions: nutritional and sexual.

I found the most primal relationship between food and sex in the nipples.

Does this answer the question of why gourmet fragrances are so successful?

In 1992 Thierry Mugler launched Angel, a perfume that was created to evoke the tenderness of the memories of a childhood, and for the first time food aromas were used to compose a fragrance for women. The notes were sweet as a childhood memory must be. Caramels, chocolate, vanilla, honey, coumarine, associated with dewberries, red berries, bergamot, helional, hedione and patchouli opened a new olfactive family in perfumery - the oriental gourmets. 

For year the success was explained by the fact that we all have a sweet tooth and that the fragrance brought to women the memories of their childhood.

I disagree by saying that we don´t need a fragrance to bring back our child memories.

All it takes is to open a family album and look at the pictures.

Angel brought a warm sensation to fragrances that was broad and new. Mature ladies felt young wearing Angel. It had a emotional "botox" effect on them. Today I think that the love for Angel has to do with the fact that youth equal being sexually active and fertile. What this means is that in a monogamic society, if a man secures a mate, he needs to finds one with the most reproductive potential. Choosing a younger woman maximize reproductive success, therefore women need to be young to be desirable. 

Our culture values youth and 22 years later Angel is still a success, and not only that, the advertising of the fragrance became over the years more and more related to sex, exposing more skin and displaying sexier models. 

Asking Dr. Gilbert if fragrances can enhance sexual attraction and desired he confirms my thoughts on Angel:

"...Smell is a major channel of social communication for most mammals, and a lot of the broadcasts are about sex: gender, maturity, availability, and so on. That’s our evolutionary background. Being human, we also interpret smells symbolically. So all sorts of odors can become eroticized".

But explaining the success of gourmet fragrances, he also adds:

"They are easy to enjoy—even a beginner can recognize food-related aromas. Also, they spark more psychological associations than do floral and botanical notes: for example, to hunger, flavor, eating, and mouth-feel."

I have had been thinking of writing about the food - sex- fragrance interrelationship for a long time, but never really took the time to research it properly until I met Hervé Mathieu.

Hervé Mathieu is French and an international consultant for marketing strategy and luxury perfume development and blogger, and in his blog I discovered the video series Chromatic Porn Food.  Hervé's article was not only my starting point to this journey, but also very kind to share with me his thoughts on the matter. His insights are really interesting and worth reading:

"My personal theory is that fragrances are a substitute for the sense of smell that the human species has lost with time and evolution. As mammals, we used our sense of smell to identify our potential mate. Throughout the millennia, the accuracy of the human sense of smell has constantly decreased, and during the recent ages it has been “civilized” a lot: as described by Patrick Süskind, people used to live in stench. Nowadays, in most developed countries we cannot stand strong smells anymore. As a consequence of that, I believe that fragrances are not only used for pleasing the senses, but also to convey a message within a socially acceptable seduction ritual. This message must not be too obvious or explicit, but nevertheless most of us can easily decipher its implicit code: some fragrances are “hot” and some are not, some are overtly sexual while some are business-like and casual and this is readable by anyone".

When I asked about food aromas that can trigger sexual desire he explained:

"Aromas that can trigger sexual desire can be classified in two main groups. The first group are aromas that “disguise” the skin, pretending it is something that it is not... According to studies, Vanilla is the most-liked aroma in the world. Obviously, so a skin wrapped in vanilla will be attractive. Other aromas which are related to vanilla such as chocolate or caramel can have a similar effect. The other group is made of those aromas that enhance the natural fragrance of the skin, such as spices. Cumin, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, clove and of course chilli have the ability to excite the senses when it comes to “spicing things up”, as we say! Some voluptuous flowers can also have an effect on one’s libido like gardenia, which I consider as the sexy side of jasmine. Femme de Rochas, which was created in 1944 by Edmond Roudnitska has a lot of spices in its original formula and it is by far the most erotic fragrance I know!"

But how do we explain the success of gourmet fragrances, I asked Hervé?

"They are a different, somewhat more explicit way to express sexual desire: “I want you, I love the taste of your skin, I want to devour you” are things that lovers commonly say to each other. With those gourmet notes, we are getting closer to one’s appetite for the desired one. They are a new way to express a very ancient feeling".

Luca Turin once said that the scent that drives men wild is bacon and Farginnay tends to agree.

As the brand describes the fragrance "bacōn Classic is designed for men and women.  A common question, does this fragrance really smell like bacon?  The answer is yes & no.  Our Classic formula is a sophisticated spicy maple fragrance with just a hint of bacon and the fun… is in finding it.  This artisanal Classic formula is lovingly crafted with the pure essential oil blend of bergamot, orange, lime, grapefruit, black pepper, cedar wood, vetiver, guaiacwood and two pinches of Bacon salty goodness.  What on earth could you be waiting for?  Available while supplies last." 

Pork Barrel, a brand of sauces and Spice Rubs for barbecued pork meat whiffs pork on the skin with their QUE Cologne or Eau de piglet as it has been called by other reviewers. As the brand describes it it is an intoxicating bouquet of smoke, meat & sweet summer sweat "Que is an intoxicating bouquet of spices, smoke, meat & sweet summer sweat, and is the latest development in wearable scents and is quickly becoming a hit among meat lovers, grill masters and backyard BBQ’ers. Recognizing the absence of a barbeque-scented cologne and perfume, Pork Barrel BBQ worked with a team of craftsmen and fine perfumers to create the perfect barbeque aroma. Until now, no fragrance manufacture has ever succeeded in bottling the intoxicating scents associated with barbeque and its mixture of spices, smoke and meat. This product is 100% real and sure to make you a hit at your next backyard BBQ and makes a great gift for your favorite BBQer."

My question is: Do we really want to smell like food?

My guess is NO, but as advertising teasers or attention capturers fragrances with food and beverage aromas became really trendy. Burger King, Pizza Hut, Stilton Cheese and many other brands are developing their perfumes as a marketing strategy to leverage sales.
It is odd, it is fun and most of all they are multi-sensorial marketing strategies. 
The last marketing campaign is the launch of EAU DE TOST by The Federation of Bakers to challenge the fashion for bread-free diets. The perfume was developed by The Aroma Company and the composition brings hints of caramel and bitter-sweet notes, yeast and malty base notes to produce the aroma that reminds of a toasted bread.
Smelling of bakery goods is not new in perfumery. We have over the years many launched perfumes that contain in their composition the smell of cookies, cakes and pastries.

To end this journey I made here a compilation of articles and lists of fragrances for you and I leave a question: Do you like to smell like food?

I end this article by saying goodbye because for me now it is lunch time and I am craving for a steak, potatoes and bacon!

Sweet readings:

A beautiful essay on Angel EDP by Luxury Activist

Le Whif

Sweet tooth fragrances table

Vive La Gourmandise!

Cooking with your nose

A brand with a vast collection of gourmet fragrances: Parfumerie Générale
Read - Delicious Perfumed Gourmandises
Recommended gourmet fragrances from PG - Tonkamande EDP, Praliné de Santal EDP

Bakery goodies:
Eau de Tost 
Mefisto EDP by Xerjoff
Tommy Girl 10
Matin Calm by Comptoir de Sud
PooPoo Pidoo EDP by EgoFacto
Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens

Chocolateries:
Piment Brûlant - L'Artisan P
Bond N9 So New York
Eau de Frohliche by Erik Kormann
Iris Ganache by Guerlain
Coromandel by Chanel
Angel by Thierry Mugler

Lovely Gourmandises:
Prada Candy EDP
Royal Rose by M. Micallef
L by Lolita Lempicka

Perfumed Food Porn:
Le 6 by Ida Delam
Secrétions Magnifiques by ELO

Strange Gourmandises:
Poivre Piquant - L'Artisan P
Bois de Farine - L'Artisan P
Love EDP by Killian
L'Heure Defendue VII - Cartier
Womanity by Thierry Mugler
Lobster by Demeter
Bacon by Farginnay
Stilton Cheese by Stilton
Pizza Hut fragrance
Burger King fragrance
Tamale by Demeter
BBQ Pork Body spray

SEX, FOOD & PERFUMES - PART I

This article will be divided into 2 parts. In the first part I will explore the food metaphors metaphors for sex. In part II you will find out how the tactile experience of using food in sex turned into an olfactive experience to be whiffed on the skin. I hope you enjoy!


Genesis 3:6:7

ו  וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה כִּי טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל וְכִי תַאֲוָה-הוּא לָעֵינַיִם, וְנֶחְמָד הָעֵץ לְהַשְׂכִּיל, וַתִּקַּח מִפִּרְיוֹ, וַתֹּאכַל; וַתִּתֵּן גַּם-לְאִישָׁהּ עִמָּהּ, וַיֹּאכַל.	6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
ז  וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה, עֵינֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם, וַיֵּדְעוּ, כִּי עֵירֻמִּם הֵם; וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְאֵנָה, וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגֹרֹת.	7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles.

Since the early beginning of humankind we will find many symbolic connections between food and sex. In the book of Genesis in the Old Testament the serpent tricks Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and to offer it to Adam. By eating the forbidden fruit they discovered they were naked (meaning that they realized they had different sexes and they were attracted to each other in a sexual way) and because they disobeyed God's will they are punished by being expelled from the Garden of Eden. 

If the forbidden fruit was a pomegranate, a citron or a fig, we will never know. But we know for a fact that the forbidden fruit was a metaphor for pleasure and sex; and eating was a metaphor for sexual intercourse. The Old testament uses fruits as metaphors to approach this delicate subject as many ancient texts did in the past.

The historically and universally use of fruits as a metaphor for sex and erotica is linked to the intrinsic sexuality of the fruit itself. According to Ronald Veenker from the Western Kentucky University " Fruit is the reproductive part of the plant – its sexual organs. Fruit is… very colorful and shaped so that it is readily differentiated from foliage. It is attractive to the eye, and tempts one to approach and touch it. Fruit exudes an appealing fragrance, especially strong and irresistible when it is very ripe. Fruit makes an ideal metaphor for sex because the two have quite similar sensual attributes. The sex organs are irregular in shape in comparison to other body parts. They increase in size and change color during sexual arousal, making them more attractive. The odors of the vaginal and seminal fluids also serve to attract and arouse. And the juiciness of both fruit and pudenda is obvious".

In ancient and modern Literature we will also find substitutions or expressions related to food when in fact the authors were speaking of sexual desire, passion and women's vaginal fluids. The list is long: "hunger for" using a verb related to food in substitution for wanting or lusting someone sexually; lover's desires to "eat" their beloved or the expression "devouring" with the eyes; men tasting women's sweet "honey"... just to mention a few.

We also have modern sexual connotations for food that are less sophisticated such as saying a woman pops her "cherry" to mean she lost her virginity or men relating to breasts as melons.



Some foods are directly linked to men's fantasy:
Processed meats such as hot dogs, sausages and winners are considered rather sexual for having phallic shapes; cucumbers, bananas, asparagus, zuchinnis, etc... are also clearly identifiable as male sex symbolism and men just love watching a woman put them into the mouth. Watch Gerard Butler coaching Katerine Heigl how to seduce her date by putting slowly a penis shaped food in her mouth in movie The Naked Truth.

Whipped cream.  Creams in general are constantly used in movies and in advertising as sexual associations with masculine sperm... and since we are mentioning whipping cream, I would like to tell you something very curious I recently learned about cake and sex. Turns out that wedding cakes are a symbol of the feminine sex organ and the act of cutting the cake is a metaphor for defloration. The act of cutting the cake by the bride and groom celebrates the act of making love that can and will be consummated only after marriage. Easy now to explain why we all have an urge to eat moistly creamy cakes!

Creative director of BBDO Paris, Valérie Levy- Harrar shows the sensuality of food in a series of videos called Chromatic Porn Food. She excites us without using a single human model. She plays with our fantasies. Showing how gourmand treats are sensually tasty.

In ROUGE we experience the combination of coffee ( a beverage commonly associated by consumers as masculine and virile) with raspberries - the feminine fruit. Raspberry is known to be related to women's fertility. It also symbolizes fragility and kindness. Lustful ingredients, such as chocolate, melt to create sensual creams. Boiling sugar and the intensity of the color red explore passion and desire.

In ROSE, although more sophisticated than ROUGE, we will find more explicit sexual connotation of intercourse when coffee cream is placed in a phallic pastry cone to be carefully inserted inside the pastry. There is penetration in food my friends!
Here the same masculine ingredient - coffee - will "seduce" and engage in "sexual intercourse" with a very delicate and feminine figure - Petit Chou - the pink French pastry. It is a visual feast of liquids and creams dripping, fire burning and pastries "growing and exploding". ROSE clearly illustrates that food preparing can be very sensual and that food ingredients can be very erotic and arousing.

So far we have seen food as a visual substitute for the forbidden pleasure either implied, imagined, or fantasized. But what about playing with food? Having a tactile sexual experience with them? To use taste and touch to seduce? 

Playing with food is universally forbidden for kids. Parents never liked it and even punished us for doing so. But as grown-ups we are allowed to play with food and use it as a tool of sexual excitement. Some people call it sitophilia.

In 1986 Kim Basinger lived a submissive, sadomaso toxic relationship with Mickey Rourke in Nine and A Half Weeks. The steamy scenes had a level of explicitness that is remembered till today. The sex scene in front of the refrigerator was probably reproduced in many other kitchens all over the world.

Mickey seduces Kim with her taste buds. With her eyes closed he inserts in her fleshy sensual mouth all kids of foods that have sexual connotations or shapes, such as dripping cherries, strawberries, jalapenos peppers and Jello. There are also scenes of liquids coming from her mouth such as wine, cough syrup and milk. The milk scene by the way is very erotic because Kim's close up licking it out of her face implies a blow job with coming-in-the-mouth fantasy. And the final touch is the honey. Mickey pours honey into on her tongue saying that he is going to put it right on the spot. He spreads honey on her knees and inner legs and finally after seducing and dominating her with food, they have sex.

The success of the movie is intrinsically related to the fact that AIDS was the great villain of the 80's and at that time people were either scarred of having sex or trying to get used to the fact that they could only have it if using condoms. So in order to spice up the act and make it more pleasurable, food played an important role in seduction. 

In the 90's manufactures launched condoms with taste in order to reinvent condoms and encourage the population to use them while having oral sex.

Comedian Carrie Snow once said that if God was a woman sperm would taste like chocolate. Well, it doesn't and if it did we wouldn't probably be here;-). But if you like chocolate or BACON (YES, BACON!) flavored penises your man can use a flavored condom. As shocking as it may sound to you J&D company invented the bacon flavored rubber.

Soon lubes, massage creams, stimulating oils, sexual enhancers and all sort of flavored balms and gels were successfully launched in the market for extra oral pleasure. The vast array of slippery flavored products are countless. Some of these tantalizing creams are advertised as EDIBLE creams.

But how to explain this sexual relationship that we have with food? Is it biological?

My guess is that it is evolutionary. As all carnivore animals, we are all hunting - mating beings. That said, he who brings the food gets to mate with the female. Food and sex were and still are the main factors of human survival in this planet, therefore the ability to supply food establishes an economic partnership between a male and a female in which men demonstrate how well they are able to provide and take care of themselves and their future offspring.

To be continued soon...

In PART II I will continue to explore the relationship between food and sex and understand how and why gourmet fragrances are so successful. I am also going to bring the unusual scents available in the market today with funny, shocking and "tasty" smells.

Meanwhile I would like to invite you to reflect a bit about the subject!