Food has always been a massive part of my identity. As a Japanese girl born and raised in Canada, my mom’s home-cooked Japanese food was a primary way I stayed connected to my heritage. However, once I left to study abroad in Aix-en-Provence, I eventually fell down a steep slope of homesickness. 

After a few weeks abroad, I started feeling homesick, missing my friends, family, and the food, especially my mom’s cooking. Eager to do something about it, I called my mom and asked her to teach me how to make her classic Japanese curry. Excitedly, I gathered the ingredients at the local food market and an Asian grocery store I found, which was only two minutes away from my apartment! I invited my friends to dinner at my place that evening. It was a huge success, and since then, it has become a recurring event. 

My mom’s Japanese Curry recipe that started it all… when my passion for cooking was ignited. 

Chinese Egg Drop soup was perfect for a cold autumn day. 

The comfort of familiar food and the company of my new friends made me very happy, washing away that sense of homesickness and replacing it with a fresh wave of growth and new connections in a new country. It was also a way to introduce my culture to others and invoke a sense of pride in myself and my heritage. 

Since then, I started cooking more frequently, trying new recipes and ingredients I’d never worked with. For example, I bought some butternut squash at the market and made Butternut Squash Thai Curry. Another time, I bought some prawns and mussels at a local poissonnerie (fish market) and made seafood pasta, which turned out delicious. 

Homemade seafood pasta with prawns, mussels, and red peppers that I bought at the local markets in Aix-en-Provence. 

Experimented cooking with some butternut squash I bought at the local food market. Butternut Squash Thai Curry turned out delicious! 

I also started trying more unfamiliar foods, such as local French cuisine, which I sometimes ate at restaurants but also attempted to make myself, such as Boeuf Bourguignon, a local dish in France. It consists of beef, wine, carrots, and mushrooms, stewed in a pot and then cooked in the oven for around three hours. Cooking it was quite a battle, but it turned out amazing! It was challenging but worth it because all my friends enjoyed it, and we learned something new about French food culture. 

Boeuf Bourgignon, a local French dish, made with lots of beef, mushrooms, and carrots. It was super challenging and took almost four hours, but the taste was worth it! 

At a class for my study abroad university, Aix Marseille Université, we had a day where everyone shared a small dish or dessert from their country. It was super cool to try new foods! My favorite was the Bigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls). 

Over time, cooking became one of my passions, and I grew increasingly eager to learn more recipes. CEA CAPA’s cooking and baking activities were a perfect way to do so! For the cooking class, we learned to make a dish with potimarron (red kuri squash) and an apple tart dessert. At another class, we learned how to make holiday butter cookies from scratch. 

A cooking class taught by local chef Olivia. She taught us how to cut certain vegetables and fruits effectively. 

At the cooking class with Chef Olivia, we learned how to make a pumpkin bacon goat cheese crumble for the main course and a tarte tatin (a French apple tart) for dessert. 

We learned how to make holiday butter cookies at a local baking class. Everyone was very focused on decorating their cookies. 

Most recently, my roommates and I hosted a “Friendsgiving Dinner,” which was our take on an American Thanksgiving but with friends. We each brought a dish or dessert of our choice, which made a wonderful and filling dinner assortment! With this variety of activities surrounding food, I have been able to enhance my study abroad experience by sharing my culture and identity, learning about French culture, connecting with friends, and overall, just having fun! 

My roommates and I hosted a Friendsgiving dinner! A chaotic yet fun mix of cultural and local dishes.