What smells remind you of home?

[chancm16]

Friends,

I'm writing a book for kids (ages 9-12) that's coming out next year with Simon and Schuster, and the protagonist (girl) is half Jamaican, a quarter Mexican, and a quarter White. I myself am half Chinese, half White, and so I'm digging around for some information on Jamaica. Any help would be appreciated!!!

What smells remind you of home? Types of food and spices, for sure, but also maybe kinds of popular lotion, plants, certain weather in the air...

Thanks so much for your help!!!

[kia027]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Congrats on writing the book? Since you mentioned your protagonist as having two nationalities and one race what is the third nationality? Does it matter what race your protagonist is?

[Gen]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

why this reminds me of morwen

[chancm16]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Kia -

Thanks! I'm really excited about it. For the story, race only matters in terms of culture. Like for instance, with my dad being from Hong Kong, but my family lived in a small town in Wisconsin (with literally no Chinese people), we still celebrated the Chinese New Year but in our own way - since we didn't have access to the traditional foods or spices. Any person from the mainland would look at us for the new year and say that that is *not* how a "real" Chinese person celebrates - but that's how we did, due to our surroundings.

As a person of mixed-race myself, I've always been fascinated with different cultures, and how they continue to mix and evolve as families mix their own cultures and stories within the family unit.

The protagonist's third nationality would be more of a Germanic/French/English nationality, not in a way that she would feel connected to it, as it's further removed in her family's immigration history.

So my editor was wondering about different smells that I could incorporate into the book, from her Jamaican side (I have a number of Mexican-Am friends and have been pumping them with questions re: all things Mexican) and I was wondering if people in this forum would be interested in giving their two cents. Or yours!

[missus_vegas]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Ok, i will help you, but in return i want a free book deal? if i am helpful to you and you do not give me that book i will obeah you and trust me google jamaican obeah it is no joke.


ok...so smells that remind me of home ( home as in Jamaica i assume)

coconut oil
fried fish with vinegar
camphor / moth balls....it was very typical to have those in closets, drawers, etc where clothing was stored cus of the insects getting at them
peppermint
cinnamon
pimento ( a spice you can google it)
rain on the window. i grew up in a house with zinc roof so we could hear the rain splatter on the roof
seeing rain run off in the gutters...reminds me of sailing boats in the gutter back home when in rained

most the thing i mentioned though dont seem exclusive to Jamaica...seems like a mexican, south american or asian person could tell u these same things. hope this helped....and remember....you owe me a book

[mangoskin]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

the wood floors, windows and furniture, no need for air freshners...

[SandiF]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Major publishing house Simon and Schuster... in a year...?

Anyway, I'm of no help to you because something seem very bogus. So, please prove me wrong. Too many fakers come on here asking for help...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Crystalsparkles</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Friends,

I'm writing a book for kids (ages 9-12) that's coming out next year with Simon and Schuster, and the protagonist (girl) is half Jamaican, a quarter Mexican, and a quarter White. I myself am half Chinese, half White, and so I'm digging around for some information on Jamaica. Any help would be appreciated!!!

What smells remind you of home? Types of food and spices, for sure, but also maybe kinds of popular lotion, plants, certain weather in the air...

Thanks so much for your help!!! </div></div>

[chancm16]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Thank you, all! And SandiF, I understand your concern, as it sounds kind of off the wall. But it's true! I'm still developing my website, but you can see my bio on my agent's site:
http://foliolit.com/emily-van-beeks-clients/ (just look for Crystal Chan).

And the book is being published by Atheneum, which is a branch of S&amp;S. So, pretty cool. But really, I do understand your skepticism.

And I think a free book sounds quite reasonable for your assistance - I mean, I can't find out this information by myself! When the book comes out, I'll mail a copy to the people who have helped out on this thread.

And thank you, Vegas and Mangoskin. Your input is awesome.

[chancm16]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Thank you, Vegas. And yes, I'll be happy to send you a copy for your help. I should be getting some copies early next year.

And actually, I think your list is quite location-specific - cinnamon and pimento...and fried fish w/ vinegar (is that escoveitch fish?) - certainly not things that are common to, say, my Wisconsin hometown. And since a lot of Chinese have statues of the Buddha or incense, the smells are quite different, culture to culture.

I'll PM you when I get my hands on a copy for you. Again, thank you.

[SandiF]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Good to see that you came back to clarify your intent.

Here's my input... The smell of rain drops as it hit the earth. There is something earthly delicious about that scent and as a child, it made me felt like I wanted to stick my tongue to mother earth's brown soil and taste that earthy scent on the tip of my tongue.

(Gross? No! An nuh badda go quote mi words perzactly)

[kia027]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

Crystal thank you for clarifying your intent


The smell of the jasmine on the back verandah at night.

Mangoes at the market

The smell of the roasting peanuts from the peanut man as he rides his bicycle through the neighborhood in the early evening

[Gen]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

<span style="font-style: italic">precisely. </span>

insert any caribbean island/south american/asian/developing country and more than likely the smells are the same. the foods are pretty similar. so if one is writing a book, you can fill in the blanks from any of those places.


even pimento can be found other places

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Vegas</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

<span style="font-weight: bold">most the thing i mentioned though dont seem exclusive to Jamaica...seems like a mexican, south american or asian person could tell u these same things.</span>
</div></div>

[diabolical_Tanya]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

the smell of rain on the hot ground

coconut oil

hot fresh patty sometimes I hallucinate that scent

The ocean/beach

burning wood

[ILP]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

moth balls
fry fish wid vinegar
coconut oil
kerosine oil
rain
beach
open market

[chancm16]

Re: What smells remind you of home?

This is fantastic - thank you, all! This is more than helpful for my current draft, and I more than appreciate the help. As I'd said, I will PM each person who has previously posted on this thread and be more than happy to mail out a copy early next year.

If anyone wants to help further and give more feedback (as I have other questions not related to smells), please PM me. Otherwise, (big grin) consider this smells mission as fully accomplished!