The best meals you will have more than likely will not be the cuisine typically associated with your host country. Don’t get me wrong, Rome has amazing Italian cuisine, but is that all the city has to offer? The short answer is no. The long answer is you can begin to understand the diverse cultural fabric of your host country through the food you eat. I will share a bit of my journey with food and culture in Rome.
For weeks, I was craving my favorite Korean dish: Kimchi jjigae. I tried to make kimchi for the dish, but I could not find any of the key ingredients. I soon accepted that I would not have my favorite food until I got back home in December. In my head, I would never be able to find Korean food in the heart of Rome. But, one day, as I was walking around my neighborhood, I saw a huge menu across a wall showing all my favorite Korean dishes.
In my previous blog, I noted the importance of walking around your host city. This small walk around my neighborhood unearthed a Korean restaurant. Within the hour, me and my friends were surrounded by a glorious spread of Banchan (side dishes) to accompany our meal. For me, this was the first taste of familiarity from home I had had in a while. This meal was the first non- Italian dish me and my friends had come across in weeks. The table was silent as we reveled in the flavors of our food.
After finding that Korean place, I came across a family-owned Indian restaurant next door. I went alone on a whim, desperate to keep up the streak of good meals. I sat in the back of the restaurant and, with my minimal Italian, ordered a beef curry with rice. But as I went to order more, my waiter kept telling me no. I was confused and didn’t know if I was breaking a food code or if my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Whichever the answer was, I felt like a toddler who couldn’t effectively communicate what they wanted, and I found myself a bit frustrated. I include this aside to show that there will be frustrating instances like this abroad. Where you may not be able to communicate as effectively as you are used to or where service norms differ a bit in your host country. Nevertheless, as my food rolled out, my earlier frustration dissipated immediately. And it turns out my eyes were bigger than my stomach because, after my curry, I could not look at any more food. These restaurants highlighted what I already knew: migrants are interwoven into the fabric of Italian culture. In homogenous places like Italy, you may feel bombarded with “traditional Italian” things, but living here allowed me to experience the diversity that Rome has to offer.
While you are away, food is one of the easiest ways to insert yourself into the culture of your host country. I ended up connecting with Rome through my cooking. On one hand, I wanted to be an adventurous eater, but I also knew that I had to work with the ingredients that I had available to me. So, for my birthday, my friends and I attempted to cook a traditional Italian meal. It was time-consuming and a team effort. But through the process of prepping everything, over boiling the pasta, and being clumsy-this experience allowed us to bond.
So, while the search for non–pasta food was on, it was the cuisine of our host country that got us all in one place at one time, joined in the collective effort to make a great meal. What I found was regardless of if you are eating, Korean food, or Italian food– these meals will fill you with warmth and remind you of home. But it is important to get a feel of traditional meals and meals from the diaspora within Italy because both can teach you a lot about the customs of their people.
If you’re a foodie like me, one of the best parts of traveling is the meals you get to try. If you’re ready to start your journey check out Education Abroad to explore the cuisine of a new country!
