This is a celebratory post. Yesterday I cooked bacon, and it smelled like, well BACON! And it tasted like bacon, too. One of the side effects of COVID-19 is parosmia (a distorted sense of smell/taste), and both Stephanie and I have suffered from it since July. We’ve been unable to tolerate such staples as onion, peppers (bell and chile), garlic, dark chocolate, sparkling wine, peanut butter, grilled/charred and cured meats of all kinds, celery, arugula, and assorted other beloved foods. But yesterday’s breakfast of migas tacos with bacon clearly indicates that we are improving. Finally!
Ode to Bacon
How you lend
yourself
to others,
enhancing even
the sweetest fig
in your embrace
over coals,
or consider
your rendered
self, how it
deepens flavor
with piggish
essence, coating
or absorbed,
blended or
sopped. O belly
of delight, o wonder
of tongues,
how could I not
love you
and your infinite
charms, even
when you resist
my efforts and
shoot sizzling bits
of yourself
onto my naked
hands? I pay
this toll
gladly,
today and
next year
and all those
days to follow,
till the last piece
is swallowed
and our sun
goes dark.
Hyperbole
becomes you,
smoked beauty,
salted love,
and I shall never
put you down
or leave you
behind
on a plate
to be discarded
or forgotten,
unloved.
“Ode to Bacon” first appeared here in July 2017, thanks to T.S. Wright’s challenge.
O at the Edges 
That’s good to hear.
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Thank you. It is, indeed. We’re recovering, but it’s been a long haul.
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Oh, no – for you of all people to be turned away from food smells – yikes! Glad to know it’s getting better. And now I have one more reason to keep isolating (and enjoying my daily onions!)
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It’s been strange. I’ve had to adjust my cooking — no onion, garlic or peppers in anything, and peppers have played a large role in our food; I cook a lot of southwestern and Asian dishes, which often call for peppers. Fresh ginger is still out, too, though powdered ginger can be used in small portions. I can’t walk by the onion selection in a grocery store without gagging. But we’re able to eat most meats again, including our beloved bacon. 🙂
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Yes, I heard and smelled it. Unfortunately I dare not eat it.
Hope you are recovering from this giant of a virus.
You certainly haven’t lost your taste for writing poetry.
I’m staring at a bunch of soggy Cheerios by my computer. It surely is worthy of a line or two of praise. 😉
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I just want to slap anyone who says COVID-19 is just “like the flu.” Perhaps you should write an ode to soggy Cheerios!
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I’m more likely to sing:
Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps
(not kidding)
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Hey! I finally did write that ode to soggy Cherrios.
https://ladysighs.wordpress.com/2020/12/22/ode-to-cherrios-perhaps/
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Brilliant!
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Thanks! I’m here for the fun.
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Now I’m hungry! Hope you have a swift and full recovery.
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Ha! We’re hoping for a full recovery. Swift doesn’t seem to be part of the equation. 🙂
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No. My daughter had it early on. It dragged on for a long time.
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We both caught it in March, so yes, it drags on. 😦
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Long-haulers then. Sorry to hear that and boo on those that think this is “just a flu”.
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Yep, that’s us. But it appears that we’re slowly turning the corner.
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Scrumptious poem — I love it!
Glad things are improving for you and your wife, Robert. Just yesterday I was thinking of you, as for the first time in 7 months the applesauce I was eating suddenly tasted like apples again. And salmon tasted like salmon! Not as exciting as bacon 😄 but a sign that our senses of smell and taste are not permanently damaged by covid-19. Hope it continues to improve for all of us who were affected.
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Every little victory helps! I’m so glad you’re able to taste apples and salmon again. Cooking has been less joyful over the past five months, more of a chore. But I feel the tide is shifting. At last!
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I can imagine the celebration this must have been for you two! I think I might have burst into tears.
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It was huge! The return of bacon ranks high on my list of 2020 special events. Coffee is returning to normal, too. It’s not quite there, but is close. What’s next?
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This is the best love story ever. ♥️bacon forever
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Thank you. Today: bacon. Tomorrow: the world. Or something like that. 🙂
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Sounds perfect to me 😍
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👍
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