You only know what you have once you have to do without it… Recently I found out that this also applies to being able to smell and taste. Those senses are, you see, ‘a bit broken’. To illustrate: “Surely you can smell for yourself that the previous guests smoked in the apartment?” Well no, no idea… “You’re letting the croissants for our breakfast burn in the oven. Can’t you smell them? They were done ages ago!” Sadly not, no. From now on I’ll just set the timer.
Like so many people, as a result of long COVID my sense of smell and taste has gone haywire. For well over a year and a half now I have experienced everything around me differently, because two senses no longer work normally. You get used to it, but it sometimes leads to strange situations. Where I used to love breathing in the sea air, the Wadden Sea now seems like a picture on a TV screen because something is missing. Or what about the cheerful scent of rose hips in De Vleijen in summer? The flowering butterfly bushes in the village, or the distinctive smell of mud from the seabed at low tide? You are missing a dimension, and that is a process of grieving. It almost sounds like a sad column, but that is not how it is meant. On the contrary, the intention is to make you aware of the scents and tastes of the island and the Wadden Sea. Because they are truly special. Enjoy them all the more this holiday!
By the way, I miss my sense of smell more on Ameland than in the city. You only really notice that loss if you put a clothes peg on your nose for a day and smell nothing at all. But I wouldn’t recommend it. A waste of your day. Instead, enjoy everything around you all the more. Even if there are some smells you might rather do without. That is one advantage long COVID patients do have. No idea in which tent someone is smoking weed, no bother from pungent barbecue smells, a smelly toilet block or overflowing bins at the campsite. Every disadvantage has its advantage, as a famous football coach might have said.
As for taste: do let yourself be surprised by the flavourful local products that Amelands Produkt has to offer. Experiencing food is also completely different for the group of people who are left with this nasty sensory complaint. To me, tomato tastes of chlorine and most flavours are dulled, so you end up adding loads of salt, fat and sugar. I’ve gone up a clothing size in the meantime, but never mind. The island of course has wonderfully healthy and tasty products for you. There are plenty of restaurants to try them. Or go to the organic farm, the trout farm or the Hollum mill to buy these artisanal products and cook yourself a delicious meal. And should you also belong to the group who, for whatever reason, have no sense of taste or smell… then enjoy the texture and colour of the food. That works too, I know from experience. However you look at it, smell it, hear it, feel it and taste it, I wish everyone an impressive stay on Ameland!
