Hmm. Sounds Very like my experience of taste/smell (and other senses as well). And similar to my father's as well, although his sensitivity was so great that he was seriously limited in what he could eat and be in the same area with until he took up smoking (at 13, which seem to be about the average age people do so, as far as I've heard) with the express intent of numbing his sense of smell.
It seems to have partially worked, as he could function in most circumstances after that, but he could still tell you every ingredient in a dish, along with the proportions, even while smoking 2+ packs a day! Only now, at 75yo and with the lung- and other problems from the smoking so far advanced that he is barely able to walk, has it slacked off some.
Thankfully, mine is not That intense. And my sinus issues (badly deviated septum from a car accident when I was ten, gradually getting worse, etc.) cause my sensitivity to vary from about 100% down to a few percent, although almost never Quite none.
It may be relevent that, in my teens at least, I could tolerate levels of ammonia (and a few other solvents) in the air that would make most people pass out. I worked in a theater and was the only one who could keep breathing and stay conscious long enough to mop down a particularly ill-ventilated storeroom, at least without vomiting repeatedly (not helpful to the mopping process ... ;-) ).
(no subject)
It seems to have partially worked, as he could function in most circumstances after that, but he could still tell you every ingredient in a dish, along with the proportions, even while smoking 2+ packs a day! Only now, at 75yo and with the lung- and other problems from the smoking so far advanced that he is barely able to walk, has it slacked off some.
Thankfully, mine is not That intense. And my sinus issues (badly deviated septum from a car accident when I was ten, gradually getting worse, etc.) cause my sensitivity to vary from about 100% down to a few percent, although almost never Quite none.
It may be relevent that, in my teens at least, I could tolerate levels of ammonia (and a few other solvents) in the air that would make most people pass out. I worked in a theater and was the only one who could keep breathing and stay conscious long enough to mop down a particularly ill-ventilated storeroom, at least without vomiting repeatedly (not helpful to the mopping process ... ;-) ).