Proust had his madeleines; I have the holy trinity. That smell immediately ushers forth countless memories of youth, my mother dutifully sauteeing the trinity to begin something that, inevitably, would be enjoyed by the family with unsparing alacrity and glee. If we were lucky, it’d be her famous crawfish etouffee. I have friends from college who to this day still ask me for her recipe. It’s that good. And it all starts with that inimitable punch to the smell center of the brain...which just happens to be the same part of your brain that processes memories. There is no small coincidence there, friends.

— Scott Gold writes about the smell of the holy trinity in New Orleans cooking, in An Ode To The Olfactory: The Best And Worst Smells In New Orleans at New Orleans Public Radio.