Pavlov and the Crepe

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.