“When I travel, I often try to mark the trip with a certain ingredient or smell. Usually it’s more than one, as I’m incredibly inspired when I travel. By setting these tastes and smells in my head, I can travel to these places once again…”
In an interview with VSCO’s Journal, Not Without Salt blogger Ashley Rodriguez goes on to cite Moroccan preserved lemons, Italy’s sweet and grassy olive oil, and “chocolate sprinkles over buttered raisin bread” from the Netherlands as flavors that stayed with her after she was home again, like sensory souvenirs.
Elsewhere, I’ve read that research has shown that our sense of smell is the best at bringing back memories, so this is a brilliant strategy.
While I’ve done this a bit, unintentionally (with sangria, for example), her perspective inspires me to make it a conscious practice.
What tastes and smells transport you back to another place? Have you ever tried to capture them or re-create them when you returned home?
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It’s microblog Monday! Read more tasty little morsels over at Stirrup Queens.
A whiff of exhaust fumes whisk me back to Bangkok immediately! Especially if it is early in the morning. At the other end of the day, freshly cooked jasmine rice can do the same thing. (I’ve spent a lot of time in Thailand.)
I’m trying to think what flavours/foods etc remind me of other places – I think bread takes me to France, and eggplant dips or hummus take me immediately to the Middle East. Lemongrass and coriander to Vietnam. Mmmm. Now I’m hungry.
And smoky bars take me to Spain!
Sometimes it is a combination of time of day or temperature with a scent that triggers a memory. So funny how our minds work!
And even your comment is making me hungry. :)
RT @TravelcraftJrnl: Flavor Souvenirs: bringing home the tastes of your travels. http://t.co/1CNiNF20FQ
When I went to France in high school, there was an unidentifiable scent that reminded me of my trip! Come to find later, after using some perfume samples that my host family had given me, it was a French perfume (of which I cannot remember the name)! That one fragrance recalls the whole country to me…also, wet creosote reminds me of Arizona every time. :)
Wow, did you ever come across it here? Also, wet creosote definitely = Arizona rain! :)
Occasionally someone will pass by who wears that perfume, and I instantly think of France! It was definitely a French perfume.
Nice to have those occasional reminders!
I love that: “sensory souvenirs.” YES! Hot lemonade (sounds gross but tastes good) reminds me of Israel.
I’ve never heard of hot lemonade, but, when I was little my mom used to make hot lemon and honey when I got sick. I’m imagining hot lemonade having a similar flavor, which would be delicious!
Flavor Souvenirs: bringing home the tastes of your travels. http://t.co/1CNiNF20FQ