I am still surprised by how smells and tastes can instantly bring you back to a certain memory, a sudden feeling of nostalgia creeping up your spine.
For me, the taste of yoghurt with fresh peaches or melon takes me back to the care-free family vacations in Spain in the summer: after a long day of visiting cities, villages, beaches and museums we would go to the local supermercado and treat ourselves to all things nice: a good bottle of regional wine for my parents, and local treats or delicious ice cream for me and my brother. On the tiny camping stove outside our tent, my mom would cook simple, yet amazingly tasty meals with tortillas, chorizo and so much more. The true treat was the dessert: a big bucket almost filled with rich yoghurt. At the table we would all grab some summer fruits and start chopping up melons, slicing peaches and cutting apricots, which – once put together – created a perfect ending to a perfect day. Usually these dinners were accompanied by gorgeous sunsets over the sea, right at the point where the world seems to end or bend. If not, the soft sounds of rain on our tent and some candles would do the job and create a soothing, cozy atmosphere.
Now, living on my own, in a big city far away from Spain, my parents and the ocean, it are those little moments that ease me and allow me to take my mind of things – even if only for a while.
The truth is, though, we can do a lot of things to create those moments, because just admit it, we are all suckers for nostalgia occasionally. All I am saying is: go to the store and buy the things that will make you appreciate your previous experience -- while making sure to create even more and better new memories in the near and far future! Once you have grown old, you will have a huge array of tastes, smells and other things at your disposal to dream away to the good old days, and that would just be perfect, wouldn't it?
