If you’ve ever seen The Amazing Race, you know how exhilarating and stressful traveling can be. When I was younger, my family and I would watch the show religiously preparing for the crazy obstacles the teams would have to endure. My mom being the hostess that she is, always took the watching party to the next level by preparing a meal from the country the particular episode was in It was a great way to feel connected to the culture of the country and it always seemed to make our family cheer even more for our favorite team.
Considering I’ve never traveled out of the United States, this small tradition my mom began within our family made me feel more connected to the world. For me, food is the best way to feel connected to a culture. Certain dishes remind me of family, memories, traditions, and history all of which make up a culture. Even the simplest dish, like turkey on Thanksgiving, can tell a story about the country of origin. For me, a life without food would be pretty boring, and not to sound dramatic (who are we kidding of course I want to sound dramatic), pointless.
At ASU, I have met so many amazing people that are from all over the United States and the world. Doors are opening and allowing me to apply for study abroad programs where I can finally fulfill my dream to travel internationally. To prepare, I am trying to immerse myself in different cultures through their fashion, music, and art. But most importantly, I am exploring different dishes to try. I mean come on, what’s the first thing you think of when someone says France? Baguettes! India? Curry! Freakin’ Italy? Pizza! Food clearly plays a huge role in culture.
So far in college, I have diversified my palette by trying the Thai restaurant across the street from my dorm. While it may not be considered the most authentic version of Thai cuisine, it did make me feel like I learned more about Thailand. I ended up getting in a debate with my roommates about Thai versus Indian curry. She claims Thai curry is better while I side with my favorite Indian curry. In Phoenix, my family and I would treat ourselves to Indian food and order the butter chicken curry (amongst a variety of others). So I decided to have a food competition with my roommates where we feasted on both Thai and Indian curry.
In the end, we both stayed with our original votes (because we are stubborn as hell) but both had an appreciation for the other’s choice. The way each dish was prepared was so different which made me respect the cultures of both the nations the dishes came from. At the end of the day, we had a great night eating a fantastic meal from two different countries. To me, that’s what food is all about: bringing people together to appreciate cultures and each other. I challenge everyone to try a new dish from a different nation and research the culture of that country.
I also challenge you to the Indian versus Thai curry war and please… cast your votes… so I can rub it in my roommate’s face