I’m sitting outside by the stairwell of my block of flats in London. In the corner to my right, cool grey stone is being softened and scented by the trawling vines of jasmine that creep up and send my brain into an LA state of mind. I find the smell intoxicating, and I tend to pick a flower once in a while, rubbing it between my hands to release the scent. So floral it almost smells like the lightest of blush pinks. 

Everyone has a favourite smell. One that unlocks a memory buried deep within or one that simply brings a smile to your face - the scent of wet tarmac that signals a fresh start, the burnt toast that reminds you of family holiday breakfasts, or whatever fragrance someone close to you possesses without even having to put anything on. 

Taste had always been my barometer for pleasure, and I suppose I just ignored that scent and taste are inextricably linked. It wasn’t until a recent trip to Seoul that I began to smell the roses, so to speak. Perhaps it was being back in my mother’s land, but my sensory experience there was amplified. And it seemed that everyone else was on the same page. Every shop had a scent; I stumbled upon fragrance exhibitions; I found myself on the hunt for perfume, something I hadn’t done in years. Perhaps it was a search for identity? I came away with many.

Of course the familiar food smells are what I connect to the most. The smell of rice crisping in butter, turning nutty with every crackle. There’s the irresistible aroma of garlic browning in peppery olive oil. Or the deep, salty cloud of chicken stock. 

But to wear? I prefer something from the earth. On a hike around Griffith Park, a friend pulled a sprig of California sagebrush – affectionately known as cowboy cologne, so fragrant that cowboys supposedly rubbed it on their skin in the grand old American west – and handed it to me. It smelled like a deep breath on a hot day. I kept that sprig and let it dry in a canvas pouch. I still carry it around with me today. It sits in the front pocket of my purse and when I feel the need, I pull it out and breathe in deeply. 

There are some smells that make you salivate; others that clear your mind. Both are brilliant. Both are romantic. Both are total pleasures.