A Question About Memory

[Jenny A]

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I just had a realization during dinner.  When I remember sounds, I hear them in my head.  When I remember seeing, I see in my head.  I can also relive touch to a more limited degree. But with the exception of salt, chili peppers, and garlic, I can't pull up and relive tastes.  Nor can I relive smells.  I have a descriptive memory of smell and taste, but not a you are there sort of memory.  It's more like a memory captioned with and this stank in a brown organic way or that tasted extraordinary in a citrus and nut sort of way.

But smell and taste are great triggers for memory.  If I smell chlorine I'm at the pool.  Taste cardamom bread and I'm a child on Christmas morning.

Everyone else at the table admitted to not being able to play back tastes and smells. 

Can anyone remember tastes the way they remember sound and sight?  Why should there be any difference?

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Here are 2 very different movies that each explore how our memories work (or don't work).

The movies are not everyone's cup of tea, and they have adult themes.  Still they make for an interesting double feature and can get one thinking about how our memories work.

Memento

Dark City

Thank you.