The Flavors and Aromas of Life

It was not that long ago that things like coffee and soap had one flavor or smell. You either drank your coffee black or put sugar and/or cream in it. Now you can choose flavored coffees like hazelnut, Irish cream, pecan, and so on. You can also pick your favorite flavor of creamers both liquid and granule. How about a little coconut creme or chocolate? What ever happened to plain cream?. You can have flavored water and soda drinks. Even liquor is now flavored. Where once there was rum,vodka,tequila, now they have all sorts of fruit flavored brands. Liquor store shelf space is getting crowded with flavor choices. What used to be Jamaican rum now has several fruity flavors and colors of blue and pink and yellow. Just try to go to the store for a bottle of rum or vodka. What used to take 15 minutes will take an hour while you try to decide.

If all the flavoring of everything is not bad enough, now you have to choose what scent you want in your laundry detergent and fabric softener. Just what is "Spring Breeze" and will it be the same in the fall? How do you really know that "April Rain" is what April rain smells like. How come there is no "Fall Leaves" or "January Snowdrift"? And don't try to pick a dish detergent. There are flower and citrus scents everywhere. Is this going to make the dishes cleaner? If you don't rinse well, the plates may taste like soapy jasmine. Does "Lemon Cascade" really clean any better in the dishwasher than regular Cascade?

I can't decide on anything any more. Now when I go grocery shopping I have to open every different bottle to decide if I like the smell. I stand at the coffee and tea isles and try to decide if I will take this one or that one. What happens if I pick something and don't like the smell or flavor. Oops, throw it away and go buy a different one. Maybe it is a marketing ploy. Then again, all these added choices seem to have exploded in the last few years when people under 35 decided they wanted to mix flavors in the cocktails. Do they buy several different deoderants so they can smell different each day? No wonder there is an increase in the "mega" stores. With the explosion of choices in just about every brand, they need more space. Now, where is my husband? He said he was going to pick up a couple of things at the store. Maybe he is trying to decide what flavor of dog foood to buy.