During my stay for the South by Southwest festival, the same olfactory occurrence would repeat itself frequently: a whiff of perfume on an escalator. A floral moment in a conference hall. And not only Austin. Visits to other countries over the past year, from Israel to Britain, had enveloped me in clouds of perfume. It bothered me, ever so slightly, and the fact that it bothered me came as a surprise. That’s because, I came to realize, six years in the Bay Area completely neutralized this portion of human existence. San Franciscans, you see, simply don’t smell like anything.
— Read more at Why does San Francisco turn up its nose at perfume? at the San Francisco Chronicle.
