Mangos, Maccies and Lynx: Tastes and smells we’re still missing after testing positive

‘Mashed potato is a no no’

3 years ago

One of the most common indicators of having coronavirus is losing your sense of smell or taste. It’s meant to return within a couple of weeks, but some aren’t so lucky. Many have been left with long-term complications and can no longer taste their favourite foods.

The Sheffield Tab spoke to students about how coronavirus has affected their sense of smell and taste and what foods they’re missing the most.

‘I can’t taste my McChicken Sandwich meal’

Dominika, a third year student at Hallam, said she has been left unable to enjoy takeaways. After testing positive, it took her a month to get her taste back and three months for her smell to return completely – but a McDonald’s hasn’t tasted the same ever since.

She told The Sheffield Tab: “I absolutely loved a McChicken Sandwich meal, but I can’t eat it anymore. It tastes very chemically.

“My partner can’t even have McDonald’s fries anymore because they makes him feel sick. For me, it’s mostly the chicken burgers or wraps. On one occasion, I just binned an entire burger because it tasted like it was gone off.”

‘I couldn’t taste my birthday cake’

Sheff Uni student Chloe still hasn’t got her taste or smell back nearly four months after having coronavirus.

She told The Sheffield Tab: “It was my birthday last week and I couldn’t enjoy my cake.”

Chloe told us to cope with the lack of taste, she looks for foods with texture. She explained: “Mashed potato is a no no.”

‘Toothpaste and mouthwash leave a tobacco aftertaste’

Uni of Sheffield student Luke told us every time he brushes his teeth he is left with a “tobacco aftertaste” in his mouth. He caught Covid-19 in October last year and four months on, is still experiencing this.

‘Anything containing fruit’

Phoebe said she can no longer eat any meal containing fruit. She said: “The taste is very hard to describe, but some kind of sickly, sweet gasoline flavour.

“I used to drink orange juice all the time but it’s unbearable now.”

Ollie added his flat mate can no longer taste mango and citrus fruits and this has been the case since August last year.

Teagan, a Master’s student at Hallam, also said that bananas now have a “burnt, chemical taste”.

‘Lynx Africa and deodorant smells unpleasant’

Shea, from Sheffield Hallam, explained he can no longer use Lynx Africa as it just smells “unpleasant”. After losing his smell for three months after having coronavirus in March last year, he told The Sheffield Tab: “All aftershave just smells the exact same.”

‘The thought of eating prawn jalfrezi makes me want to vom’

Hannah, a second year student at Sheffield Hallam, told The Tab having coronavirus put her off eating prawn jalfrezi.

She said: “I wasn’t officially diagnosed because I caught it in March 2020 but I’m 99 per cent sure I had it. I was at home and my parents would cook for me and bring it outside my room.

“One of my fave ready meals from Aldi is prawn jalfrezi. I had it when I couldn’t taste anything. It was just so mushy that even the thought of it now makes me want to vom.”

‘I thought I’d been buying bad peppers’

Alice, a second year student at Hallam, told The Tab after testing positive late last year, peppers no longer taste the same.

She said: “I just thought we were buying bad peppers, then I realised it must be Covid. It’s really weird, everything else tastes exactly the same.”