Of Spice And Scent

When I was younger, I found that the slightly over-sweet scent of agarbattī incense sticks rather cloy. But times change, and as I've grown older, one of the things I've picked up - particularly since living in the Arab world, is a habit of lighting charcoals and burning bakhoor. A good quality bakhoor is less sweet, and has a more rustic, earthy element to it. I burn it at the door and in the majlis - the scent will linger and gives me a sense of being somewhere familiar. You can even smoke your wardrobe - this is very common amongst the Arabs of the Khaleej.

Omani Frankincense is a popular scent and has a 'creamy' feel to it - kind of makes one sleepy and induces a dream-like feeling ... (I'm sure there's more to it than a simple perfume ... not that I would ever advocate anything dodgy) ... but my personal favourite is Oudh.