Gourmet Hand Deodorizers

I gravitate towards smelly food. I adore garlic, onions and salmon. While highly spiced dishes can leave me socially unacceptable, I usually get away with it because everyone has been eating the same meal. However, handling salmon, tuna or other strongly flavoured ocean offerings can bring a whole new meaning to fish fingers. Only the cat will find you attractive, and for all the wrong reasons.

Many cookbooks suggest rubbing your hands with salt or lemon juice to remove the smell. I can’t attest to this trick’s effectiveness on odors, but I assure you, it is a quick means of locating all the nicks and scratches you’ve acquired while gardening.

Upper Canada Soap, which has a line of products specifically for gardeners, has developed a hand deodorizer that leaves you smelling wonderful and doesn’t sting a bit. Makes you wonder if they used gardening cooks in their test group. I tried the Wasabi Green Tea version and learned that you can become socially unacceptable for smelling good — if you insist on sniffing yourself and saying “Yummm” too often.