The smell of fire

Christopher Brosius did make a scent called "Roast Beef." However, according to him, he never meant to sell any.

On the other hand, this year you can get your meat-loving friends the new Burger King Flame body spray. You must click the link. It's very funny. If Burger King wanted to generate some attention in this lousy economic market, they've done a fine job. Hey, now I'm curious. For four bucks, I'm dying to know what it smells like: "Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat."

I must confess that I love the smell of meat cooking over a wood fire. I love the smell of burning wood, too. I have a small bottle of fragrance oil called "woodsmoke." I don't really need it, since I've got a woodstove burning constantly during the winter. During the summer, we do barbecue a lot, always with wood.

I love the smell of burnt things. That doesn't include plastic, which I accidentally lit on fire last week when I was steaming some broccoli. That smell permeated the house for a day. But the smell of burnt leaves, paper and most anything natural is just lovely. I may also like it overmuch because of childhood memories. It's odd, out of a tragedy comes a love for the smell of fire. My parent's gallery burnt down in one of the biggest fires in Long Island, New York history. After the fire was out (a week later), my father put everything that was salvageable into our basement. I don't know why we kept it all. It was rather creepy, some of it. There was more than one sculpture of a human being that had become half a body. The figurative paintings were quite macabre with all their melted paint. A lot of the stuff was much more interesting melted.

I like fire. I don't like it if someone gets hurt or loses their house (just wanted to make sure you understand that!) Everyone loves fires in a fireplace, don't they? Many years ago, when I lived in New York City, there was a huge fire on Broadway in a huge old warehouse. It was unusually cold out and the water that hit the building was freezing. It was an incredible sight: flames bursting from windows and gigantic icicles forming below them. It seemed unbelievable that it was even possible. It felt hot, standing across the street watching; those icicles seemed to defy the power of the flames.

I'm not a firebug. There were plenty of people watching this fire. It was extraordinary and noone was in the building, so one could watch guilt-free.

Well, all that on account of Burger King's "fragrance." Don't forget to click the link. It is a hoot!

Photo note: "Crisp Fire Safety is here to help you to meet your Fire Safety obligations."

Addendum: I had said to myself "don't write." Eh. My writing is not up to snuff, but it makes me feel better. Fire deserves a more well-crafted piece of writing than this one. Another time, perhaps.