Soy Sauce Sidewalk Salt, Anyone?
I don't know about the general population, but those of you who attended UMass Amherst might remember what I'm talking about.
::::FLASHBACK::::
It's a gloomy looking day. Chance of snow, and maybe it already has snowed a little. I'm walking to class when suddenly it hits me - such a strong scent of soy sauce, or maybe maple syrup, but mainly soy sauce. Is the DC serving Chinese food today....outside? And the sidewalk appears to be wet....ew, the delivery truck spilled some.
FAST FORWARD TO AFTER CLASS. Different area of campus, further from the DC. Still that smell, and the wet sidewalks....what is going on? Has the DC exploded?
No. Apparently it's just some sidewalk de-icer/possibility-of-snow-so-we'll-throw-down-some-stuff-to-melt-it-when-it-comes product.
Throughout my education at UMass, I became accustomed to (and appalled by) the smell every winter. To this day, I'm not sure what it was; if it was a legit de-icer, or actually just excess DC sauce.
::::BACK TO THE PRESENT::::
It's a somewhat gloomy day. Possibility of snow later today, or maybe this weekend. I'm stepping out of my car to head in to work, when suddenly it hits me - that oddly familiar soy sauce smell. Did I step through a warp zone? Am I dreaming? Did the Asian restaurant down the street explode? :::Sniff sniff::: The smell is definitely real. I am definitely awake, and at work. And there is no commotion to indicate a problem at the restaurant.
Then I look at the sidewalks.....HOLY CRAP, WTF?!?!?!?! The normally pale gray sidewalks are covered with a layer of what looks like brown snow-cone chunks. It's not sand, yet it is much too large to be salt. It looks like someone decided that the sidewalk would look better with that crumbly topping often found on coffee cake, yet this particular look-alike topping does NOT look delicious. My office building apparently is taking advice from someone at UMass, and taking it to the extreme.
I have no clue what this stuff is. And it is WAY grosser than the stuff at UMass, because it's so chunky! It made the walk into work treacherous, because it just slipped around all over the place under my feet.
Uuuuuummmmmmm....And then I found $20.
::::FLASHBACK::::
It's a gloomy looking day. Chance of snow, and maybe it already has snowed a little. I'm walking to class when suddenly it hits me - such a strong scent of soy sauce, or maybe maple syrup, but mainly soy sauce. Is the DC serving Chinese food today....outside? And the sidewalk appears to be wet....ew, the delivery truck spilled some.
FAST FORWARD TO AFTER CLASS. Different area of campus, further from the DC. Still that smell, and the wet sidewalks....what is going on? Has the DC exploded?
No. Apparently it's just some sidewalk de-icer/possibility-of-snow-so-we'll-throw-down-some-stuff-to-melt-it-when-it-comes product.
Throughout my education at UMass, I became accustomed to (and appalled by) the smell every winter. To this day, I'm not sure what it was; if it was a legit de-icer, or actually just excess DC sauce.
::::BACK TO THE PRESENT::::
It's a somewhat gloomy day. Possibility of snow later today, or maybe this weekend. I'm stepping out of my car to head in to work, when suddenly it hits me - that oddly familiar soy sauce smell. Did I step through a warp zone? Am I dreaming? Did the Asian restaurant down the street explode? :::Sniff sniff::: The smell is definitely real. I am definitely awake, and at work. And there is no commotion to indicate a problem at the restaurant.
Then I look at the sidewalks.....HOLY CRAP, WTF?!?!?!?! The normally pale gray sidewalks are covered with a layer of what looks like brown snow-cone chunks. It's not sand, yet it is much too large to be salt. It looks like someone decided that the sidewalk would look better with that crumbly topping often found on coffee cake, yet this particular look-alike topping does NOT look delicious. My office building apparently is taking advice from someone at UMass, and taking it to the extreme.
I have no clue what this stuff is. And it is WAY grosser than the stuff at UMass, because it's so chunky! It made the walk into work treacherous, because it just slipped around all over the place under my feet.
Uuuuuummmmmmm....And then I found $20.