By Gabby Montesano
If you’re looking for someone who can make you a mean Italian pasta dish – look no further than Julianna Perkins! This second-year Journalism student enjoys all the wonders that life has to offer.
What got you into cooking?
My grandparents are Italian immigrants, and growing up I spent a lot of time at their house. Food, and therefore cooking, was just an integral part of growing up around them. I watched the process of cooking from beginning to end: I would help my grandfather in his massive backyard garden, and I would wash all the dishes with my grandmother after a meal. I always joke that you could never leave my grandparents house hungry, but I think a big part of why food is so important to me is because it was so important to them; they left everything back in Italy except for the skills and knowledge they came with, so passing on that knowledge was a big deal. I have never once seen my grandmother, or even my mother, use a recipe. I always thought cooking amazing, delicious meals was just a skill everyone had, until I moved out and realized that some people have never really been exposed to cooking. I enjoy cooking: it reminds me of home, it’s a challenge, and frankly nothing quite beats making a meal for people you care about and having them tell you how good it is.
Julianna baking bread for a house party (JULIANNA PERKINS)
What’s your absolute favourite food dish?
I am notoriously un-picky, and I will try anything within reason, so it’s hard for me to pick an absolute favourite. I constantly crave Japanese agedashi tofu, Indian palak paneer, and Vietnamese pho, but a ride-or-die, Last Supper dish would probably be a hunk of good Italian focaccia bread, salty butter, brie cheese and some salami (even though I try not to eat meat). Simple, but always good.
What’s your favourite holiday and why?
I really like Christmas just because it means I get to see so many people and eat so much good food. Every night is a new house and a new dinner party, and I get to cook but also get to have a really good time with all my family and friends. Everyone is happy, everything is cozy, and it’s nice to see everyone I miss while I’m at school.
Along with cooking, she enjoys travelling. With her English, French and Italian language skills, she also hopes to be a foreign correspondent or to be working at a global newsroom in the future.
Where would you like to travel if you could go anywhere in the world?
Is everywhere an option? I’d probably want to travel throughout the Middle East because I’ve had so many people tell me Israel and Jordan are beautiful. I’d also really like to explore Canada more, especially the Northern territories and the Maritimes.
The view on Julianna’s walk through the walls of Dubrovnik in Croatia. (JULIANNA PERKINS)
How often do you travel?
I wish I could travel more than I do, but alas, I live the university student life. That said, I spent a month in Europe this summer visiting family back in Italy and road-tripping Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. And then during reading week this October, I took myself to New York and Montreal to explore and visit friends. So I can’t really complain.
Do you have any traveling horror stories?
A couple years ago, I was on my way from Vancouver to Rome, and we had a layover in Frankfurt. We got on the plane and were sitting in the middle of the tarmac, waiting to take off. After about an hour, the pilot announced that there was a minor issue with some piece of something, but we would still be able to fly with it, we would just have to take a slightly different route. We were going to leave in 30 minutes. An hour later, the pilot came on again and told us that because of the new route, we would need more fuel, which would take another “30 minutes.” Then, about two hours later, we learned that the piece was actually really broken and we would need to wait for it to be repaired. Long story short, we ended up being trapped in the plane on the tarmac for six hours with no food or water until they finally cancelled the flight and sent us to a sketchy little hotel for the night. The next morning, the flight was delayed again and then they lost our luggage for three days. It wasn’t exactly the greatest start to a trip.