I used to work at the place where all the smells in the world are generated, the Ol' Factory we called it. I know what you're thinking, and there were definitely departments in which you did NOT want to work. As for me, I worked in Baked Goods. We had invisible pipes leading to every kitchen in the world, and it was my job to keep those pipes working. A broken pipe would cause all kinds of trouble. People would go mad smelling chocolate chip cookies in places where there were none, and others would wonder why their chocolate chip cookies didn't have that wonderful aroma like grandmother's had. "Maybe I've messed up the recipe," they'd think. "I'm no good at anything." Inevitably the drinking would start at that point. So my job was important, you see, and I took it seriously.
Why am I in computer programming today? Well, there was an accident. I was driving to fix a brownie line in Cleveland, when an ether truck, with the driver asleep at the wheel (naturally), swerved right in front of me and into an ammonium carbonate tanker. The mess was terrible, and I ended up lying unconscious in the resulting puddle of smelling salt, or "baker's ammonia" as it was once called. That was it for me. My nose was never the same again. It's the big risk in the aroma business, a bum nose. I turned in my tools shortly thereafter and I've been a programmer ever since.
I still think about it all the time, though, my days on the scent lines. It's hardest around the holidays, when I know people are really hitting the baking hard, pushing the system to its limits. I'm sure none of the guys I used to work with are still around. It's a tough business, and people burn out quickly. Whoever's working our place is pretty good, I have to admit. The other day, as a test, I cooked a pan of dark chocolate brownies with a hidden caramel center and a secret ingredient: almond extract. Perfect. They got it just exactly perfect. I have to admit, I was impressed. The guy or gal is a real stinker, as we used to say.
This post is dedicated to all the guys and gals behind the scenes that keep the world spinning. Keep up the good work, people. You're the tops in my book.
Hello, friends. How are you today?
Later. Love.
