Nothing can bring back a memory quite like a particular smell. We’ve all had the experience of a powerful experience recalled by encountering an aroma. Suddenly we are transported back to a different time and place. I’m told that this is, at least in part, because the area of the brain that processes what we smell is close the the area that holds our memories. So there’s truth in the old saying “ the nose knows”

You probably have some smells that remind you of Easter. Perhaps the perfume your mother wore on special occasions to go with the Easter Sunday ensemble, or maybe the smell of the dye we used to color Easter eggs, or the smell of Easter lilies combined with fresh bee’s wax candles, or the incense used at Mass.

For me, it is the smell of Greek lamb. For years we roasted a whole lamb over charcoal outside on a spit. The cooking started in the morning and by late afternoon the feast would begin. The lamb was selected and butchered on Good Friday (there’s something Biblical about that). On Holy Saturday, the men gathered to season, prepare the lamb, and fasten it to a long pole for roasting on a spit near the ground. Cloves of garlic were inserted into the meat, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper were added and the lamb was placed in an air conditioned room set to keep it cool until Easter Sunday.

For hours the slow turning lamb was carefully tended according a time honored culinary choreography. The air was filled with the heady aroma of an open grill. A small but dedicated ensemble would gather. The charcoal was arranged and then rearranged and then rearranged (usually by several different people), while other sidewalk supervisors provided their guidance. The lamb was constantly basted in more olive oil, lemon and spices. Every so often, when deemed necessary, the spit was stopped and adjustments made. Various lamb experts took turns handling the shovel to add more charcoal. The weather was monitored for potential variants like wind, clouds, or (God forbid) rain. The entire enterprise was fretted over with meticulous devotion.

Eventually the taste testing began. Little slices were carved off with a pocket knife, passed around by hand and evaluated by experts and novices alike; eventually, the feast was proclaimed as ready. It was joined by traditional Greek and American delicacies and side dishes….. but it was this carefully crafted barbecue that was the center of attention. It wouldn’t be Paska without the lamb…

However……Easter Sunday in western Washington is rarely conducive to this kind of undertaking from more southern latitudes. You need predictable temps above 60 degrees with very little wind and no rain insure a good outcome for things to turn out well. Instead, I have tried to make due with a leg of lamb in the Weber barbecue….it’s good but not exactly the same. Especially this year when we are separated and keeping our distance, things are different.

So…on Holy Saturday I will take the lamb chop I bought from Safeway, place it in a zip lock bag, add minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, coarse ground pepper, salt and set it to marinate before I crank up the grill for our Easter dinner.

But…….just before it goes on the barbecue………I’ll open that little bag, take a deep breath to inhale the bouquet and…..it WILL be Easter again……

God bless you all.

CHRISTOS ANESTE…….ALETHOS ANESTE!