Ever have a moment when you hear or taste something and suddenly you’re back in time to a moment and the world disappears?
Pavlov never forgets. The body never forgets – it’s one of the reasons neural linguistic programming works as well as it does.
My first visit to France was to Paris; I was a mere pup with a group of American high school kids and our focus was study. History. Facts. Legends. Wars. Traditions. Art. Food wasn’t even on the agenda.
Still a mere pup and on a budget, I spent a few months in the south of France a year or so later. I ‘camped’ with 7 Europeans and Australians in a hotel room in Nice and my days were spent sampling crepes inland and along the entire coast.
I became an expert of sorts. I could tell whether the eggs were fresh and the cheese was local or imported. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the French crepe had become embedded in my system. Literally.
Since then, every time I set on French soil, it’s as if Pavlov takes over. If I don’t have a crepe in my hands within 24 hours, finding one becomes an obsession.
Ahhhhhh France, I’m craving a crepe.
Ahhhhhh France, where’s my crepe?
Ahhhhhh France, why am I not eating a crepe?
Ahhhhhh France, give me a crepe damn it.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
