I am a regular listener of The Splendid Table, an NPR food show. It always makes me hungry and is much better than how Saturday Night Live’s Delicious Dish makes it seem (though Delicious Dish is hilarous).

Anyway, I was surprised but pleased to hear that the first interview of the January 16, 2010 show is neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Herz at Brown University. She has published a book called The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell and gave a very good interview about how our sense of smell is tied directly into emotion and memory centers of the brain, and how scent and taste combine to create flavor.

The interview is definitely worth listening to. Go to the episode listing and click on “01:00 – 07:36 The Scent of Desire” to listen, or you can try this direct link, which may or may not work.

Enjoy, and try not to get too hungry when she starts talking about steak.