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OLE SPICE

It is funny how the smallest things can have such a big influence on the individual you become later in life. It could be a smell or perhaps a phrase heard long ago that can trigger and even shape your attitudes and perceptions as you mature.

One of the most significant and lasting memories I have had throughout my life began with the aroma of pan-fried chicken. I can still to this day remember that wonderful smell lofting from our kitchen so many years ago. Many years later when I had left home and was living on my own, I tried to fix pan-fried chicken for myself but the taste and the aroma was never the same. I thought that I had done everything the same but it was not the same. I called my mother to ask for some advice. Perhaps she had a special recipe that she used to make her chicken the best. On the other hand, perhaps it had been that old iron skillet she used. She assured me that I had been doing everything correctly nevertheless it just was not the same. I shared my dilemma with an elderly woman I had met at work and she reassured me that indeed, I was preparing the chicken properly but I had forgotten one key ingredient that made my mothers chicken so special; Old spice. Now I was confused. Did she mean the cologne? I was sure that my mother would have never added a dash of cologne to her chicken recipe. She just smiled and shook her head and said, Someday, you will understand.

At the time, I was living in Cincinnati Ohio. Being from a small town, I often would spend time walking around the heart of the city amazed by the variety of characters on its city streets. Artisans of all kinds would line the city sidewalks. Musicians, painters, mimes and poets, transformed the streets into a festival of entertainment. I recall watching an older man as he set up his easel and brushes, stare at the blank canvas for several moments seemingly waiting for just the right moment to begin. One could tell exactly when the inspiration hit him for his brushes and pencils seem to come alive in an amazing display creative genius. There in the center of this busy metropolitan setting, he created a wonderful scene of a remote mountain village. The detail was so impressive that I could almost see the trees swaying in the breeze and the tiny trail of smoke dissipating in the clouds from the chimney of one of the cabins. So impressed with his talent, I asked him how he was able to show so much passion in his work. He smiled and simply said, Old spice. Old spice?

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