Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Vanishing American Smellscapes: The Way the Cookie Crumbles


Riverdale’s Stella D’oro cookie factory, which infused its Bronx neighborhood with the scent of vanilla for decades, is set to be sold to developers who will raze the site and build a shopping center.
According to the Wall Street Journal’s Dawn Wotapka, the plant
became a symbol of the Bronx’s loss of relatively high-paying manufacturing jobs. The bakery operation ended about two years ago after a lengthy strike, putting about 150 employees—some earning more than $20 an hour—out of work.
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4 comments:

  1. guinness and luvAugust 10, 2011 at 5:22 AM

    More memories razed! I always counted on the kindess of the smell of baking Stella D'Oros to keep me awake on the drives to school. Pity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. EdCAugust 11, 2011 at 6:46 AM

    Hmmm, perhaps bakeries could appeal for public contributions. Some fraction of the people who listen to NPR send them money. Maybe the people who enjoy the smells of a bakery could send in contributions. Instead of delaying the classical music while begging listeners to "pick up your phones," maybe the bakerry could just put up a bill board with, "No good smells during your commute today. Please call 287/945-2378 to contribute."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Avery GilbertAugust 11, 2011 at 9:27 PM

    guinness and luv:

    Our past is constantly evaporating. Sometimes it vanishes completely.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Avery GilbertAugust 11, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    EdC:

    I see a market here for odor offsets (like carbon offsets). Bakeries and candy companies earn credits and sell them to stinkers like commercial composting sites.

    ReplyDelete

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