Flavor vs Scent

I am not a perfect person. I make too many grammatical mistakes to count. In fact I could have written that sentence as "I make two many grammatical misteaks too count." I didn't, but I easily could have. I suck at proofreading. Also there are words I can't pronounce, let alone spell. So, I just want you to know I am not writing this to be condescending to anyone who reads this and thinks "Oh. I do that." I just want to improve your (not you're) life.



Okay.



Here's the definition of flavor:



fla·vor/ˈflāvər/

Noun: The distinctive quality of a particular food or drink as perceived by the taste buds





Here is the definition of scent:



scent/sent/Noun: A distinctive smell, esp. one that is pleasant:







Here is a conversation I have heard in a yankee candle store recently:



Salesperson: Can I help you find a candle?

Shopper: Yes. I am looking for that Clean Cotton Flavor.



What?? A 'flavor' of candle? My first instinct is to turn around and make sure the woman isn't eating the candle. I mean, granted, those cinnamon swirl candles do smell pretty appetizing, but as I learned from being the weird kid who ate my chapstick in school, wax does not taste good. I stop short of warning the lady that candle wax will not taste as good as it smells, but then I realize she isn't going to eat the candle. She is going to light it and enjoy the smell of clean linens without having to actually do laundry.



It's a mix-up I have heard my entire life and it's incredibly understandable. Our sense of smell and our sense of taste are intertwined. It's all right there in the mixed up anatomy of the mouth and nose. However, despite the important role they both play, one is specifically related to smell and the other is specifically related to taste.



Things may smell but they may not always have a flavor. I know this also, from being the kid who secretly licked her smelly sticker to see if they tasted good. They tasted like paper, so it may be from this "mouth-on" experience that I learned the difference.



But, perhaps the more normal people in the world didn't try my eating things that smelled good. So world, learn from my mistakes to improve your vernacular. Candles have scents...popsicles are flavored.

Don't eat these candles.