Batman cereal, Flintstone Vitamins, and other aversions

What ever happened to Batman cereal? It had a very distinct and, for me, memorable taste, smell, weird yellow coloring. In fact, I believe these are the reasons behind me remembering some random cereal I ate, maybe a few times at most, some 15 years ago. Do you remember Batman cereal, with those little yellow Batman symbols? Cereal, like many things tied to youth and memory, is a funny thing, especially when you get into a discussion about all the "not good for you or your kids" cereals. We all know that these cereals are marketed to children, a target audience for who cavities and sugar intake should already be a concern. That, however, it not at all the point of this post. I digress and it's a wonderful thing. The tangent is one of the many elements of class lectures and discussions which got me through six years of college. And, frankly, who am I to leave the tangent method of discourse to university professors, medical professionals, lawyers, etc.

The more I write, be it poetry, non-fiction, blogs, etc, the more I realize that my memory, as well who I am, is very much tied to my childhood experiences--scents, smells, tastes. Which sense is strongest? Certainly, there are taste aversions in which we simultaneously have something unique and distinct tempt our taste buds into taking us on a trip down a, perhaps, not-so-pleasant memory lane. Vinegar and mayonnaise are two that totally disgust me here. Perhaps it is the talk about drinking vinegar as a cure for colds and other types of home remedies, or it very well could be those bottles of Heinz Malt Vinegar found on the tables of many sports bars, delis, and other eateries. I cannot stand it being near me or even on my side of the table for all that matter. Mayonnaise, mayo, or, whatever you want to call it has an especially disgusting place in my memory. Even to this day, my grandmother and mother use mayonnaise to rub into the finishes of a scratches piece of antique furniture. I have very distinct memories of the two of them walking around the living and dining room at my grandparent's house with a jar of mayonnaise. Plain and simple, an open jar of mayonnaise, mayo on a knife in the sink, mayo on a sandwich, on a spoon, anywhere, grosses me out.

There are of course interesting smells like, for example, Flintstone vitamins. Now I know someone remembers the smell of these chewable treats! I do not remember protesting to take my Flintstone vitamin even once as a kid. I don't so much remember the taste of these chewable Freds, Barneys, and Dinos, but I do remember the smell of the vitamin itself. I suppose the scent increased in strength with the childproof tops sealing the goodness inside. Which is ironic, in a way, because you want your children to take their vitamins yet they are packaged in such a way that you have to open the containers of them. Anyhow, the smell of these vitamins is an everyday experience for me in such a weird way. I have managed to find a deodorant, Old Spice Pure Sport, and a body wash, of the same scent, to smell exactly like the Flintstone vitamins. Please, if you do remember the smell of these vitamins you must take yourself to CVS, Target, etc. to smell this scent. It is very much the same. The vitamins on the other hand can still be found on store shelves, and yes, I did look for them one day out of curiosity. On the contrary, the smell of sycamore trees is repulsive. You walk outside and it's mid-June, kind of hot outside and the humidity hits you in the face. But if you grew up, and or live, in New England and the Northeast states, chances are you have experienced the smell of the "sick-a-more" tree. I'm sure the name of the tree is no coincidence. Seriously, I don't think I could point you out a tree in a park or on a random street that is a sycamore tree. But I would guarantee to you that I would be able to point out a vicinity based on the smell. Seriously, it smelled like someone sneezed. And, yes, sneezes have smells too. If you are one of those unfortunate few who have experienced the smell of a sneeze (another person's sneeze) in your travels or daily excursions, I sincerely apologize because that is a raunchy smell in itself!

And, then there are sounds. This could include voices, music, song lyrics, beats, the sound of cleats on a metal stadium bleacher, the bounce of a basketball, a car horn, that "awhooogaaa" noise, a buzzer at a sporting event, a megaphone, a burp. All of these things we have stored in our wonderful brains. But if you look into your mind hard enough, you might just be able to tie each one of these sounds, and many more, to specific instances or experiences. That, is what I love doing. And for centuries people have had discourse over this phenomenon of aversions. It is our mind's way of tying pieces together. I personally feel that I am fortunate to have within my a curiosity to seek out the reasons for things. As someone who writes, and at least, thinks that he is creative, I find myself attributing to inanimate and, perhaps otherwise, insignificant things, significance. I just thought I would share.

Cheers!