麻豆传媒

Why can鈥檛 we conjure up smell and touch in our heads, but we can 鈥渓isten鈥� to music when nothing is coming through our ears? (cont.)

Martin Freeman
London, UK

My work used to enable me to travel in a small company aircraft. Flying south in the UK from Glasgow to London, we were once a little late and the airfield landing lights were turned on. The pilot knew I had previously flown in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and asked if I wanted to join him in the second seat at the front. Delighted, I settled in to memories of flying Canberras [large, jet-engined aircraft]. Suddenly, I experienced a spontaneous, unmistakable smell and taste in my mouth of egg, chips and beans in a fry-up. Bewildered, I then realised it was a vivid physical memory of RAF night-flying suppers 鈥� always available and popular both before a late-night take-off and after an early morning landing.

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