"Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand."

What a better way to kick of Cuisines of Asia than with a field trip to Chinatown? We ventured to the city on Tuesday to walk around China town, tour a sake factory, and of course – EAT! We stuffed ourselves with every possible kind of dim sum (Chinese tapas), and then chowed on Phô - delicious hot broth poured over meat, tendons, tripe, and rice noodles, and then garnished with bean sprouts, soy sauce, lime juice, and hot chili sauce. Somehow we managed to get our Chef Professor to take us to Berkeley Bowl, a HUGE marketplace with every imaginable type of produce, the freshest of seafood, and gourmet international foods. Basically we did what culinary students to best – we ate ALL day, and went home happy.

As Cuisines of America came to an end last Thursday, today began Asia with Chef Toni Sakaguchi. This is the one class I have been hesitant about simply because I have very little experience with Asian cuisine, other than a random but oh-so-Americanized sushi night or perhaps a little pad thai here and there. It will be great though, because there is so much to learn! Every day we start class with a tasting – every student has a tray with 20 different samples of Asian ingredients we might not be familiar with. Hoison sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce varieties (who knew there were so many kinds?), dehydrated lily roots, Szechuan peppercorns, etc. I can’t promise that I’ll be using these ingredients when I get my own place, but learning to understand them and appreciate them, and thus expand my knowledge of Asian cuisine, has endless value. Something I try to remind myself here every day – do not put up doors. Open yourself up to everything, get everything out of the whole experience, and walk away a better chef.

The course is divided by country: Days 2 and 3 are China, Days 4 and 5 are Korea, then Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Indian. Alas, a sample menu from day 6: Team One: Miso Soup
Arame Seaweed Salad with edamame
Teriyaki Beef
Tempura Vegetables
Seasoned broth with tofu dumplings
Savory Egg Custard

Team Two: Korean Green Onion Pancake with Shrimp
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Stir-fried sweet potato glass noodles
Kimbap
Kimchee Soup
Shredded Potato pancakes

Team Three: Buckwheat noodles with dipping sauce
Sake-simmered flounder
Grilled Shitake mushrooms with Ponzu sauce
Tonkatsu
Vegetable and shrimp clusters
Stuffed cabbage
Sushi Nigiri

Team Four: Spinach salad
Fried oyster hotpot
garlic pork and asparagus pancakes
Korean grilled beef in sesame leaves
Grilled eggplant rounds with sweet chili sauce
Korean roasted fish

Now it might not sound like it, but these menus are pretty light compared to the pace we are used to, but that just means we will have more time to walk around to other teams and get our hands in their preparations! Not to mention while we are preparing all this, Chef Toni is calling us over a couple times a class to do a demo on a certain technique – today she demoed the Wok station and proper stir-fry…so fun!
Hmm, most of my friends are getting up to go work in an office or cramming for law or med school. I’m getting up to work in a kitchen and I’m cramming food. Did I mention I love culinary school?
Eat well yall! <3 COCO