Man with rare condition who can taste and smell words describes what Christmas feels like

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A man with a rare condition who can taste, smell and feel words reveals 'Christmas' isn't mulled wine and mince pies, but tastes like crisps dipped in plain yogurt.

Henry Gray, 23, was diagnosed with lexical-gustatory synaesthesia in 2009 - meaning he can taste, smell or have a feeling associated with words.

Synaesthesia is a neurological condition that results in the joining or merging of senses that aren't normally connected - those affected can often taste or smell when hearing, speaking, reading or thinking about words.For Henry the word festive smells 'like incense' and tinsel tastes "like a mouthful of crushed ice" and he says 'scrooge' is metallic-tasting spaghetti hoops.Henry, a barman, from Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, said: "To me, Christmas tastes like a crisp dipped in plain yogurt."For Saint Nicholas - Saint is salty and Nicholas is little puzzle pieces dipped in vinegar"Interestingly Turkey tastes like shredded chicken."Scrooge is a weird one - it tastes like spaghetti hoops but with a metallic taste as if the spaghetti hoops are in melting battery metal."I've always associated words and names with tastes, smells and feelings - it's all I've ever known."Henry had assumed everyone was able to taste or smell words until his parents and teachers pulled him up on his comments on classmate's names."I would say things like Lucy is like a big red lollipop when they called her name out in the register and everyone would look at me confused," he said."Most of the time I quite like having synaesthesia and it doesn't get in the way."I'm a bartender at a pub so whenever I look at people's ID, I get a strong sense of the taste and smell."One of the worst names for me is Kirsty which is the faint smell of urine."Henry