UCLA Study Abroad | International Education Office | Asia (Virtual)

By Julia Andborn

One of my favorite things about the Asia Travel Study was that we got to experience so many different cuisines and learn how to cook some of the most known dishes for some of the countries! During our week in South Korea, we were taught to make Bulgogi. Bulgogi is a famous dish in South Korea and the word translates to “fire meat”. It contains thin slices of meat, chicken, or a vegetarian option and is often stir fried. The chef who showed us how to cook a perfect dish of bulgogi was really talented and genuine. It was so cool to see and learn what ingredients that are common to cook with in South Korea. We were also given the recipe that she followed so that we could cook it at home in the future.

Another dish that we were taught how to cook was Bun Bo Xao during our week in Vietnam. This is a noodle salad dish that is very common in Vietnam. The cook showed us a video of her getting all the ingredients at a food market. She said that the prices compared to the US are really good, but at the same time the quality of food is superb. This is because the market wants its customers to return and buy more so it is essential for them to sell quality ingredients. It looked amazing when she cooked this dish and it also didn’t take too much time. I therefore decided to follow the same recipe as her and cook the dish the day after. It turned out so good and I strongly recommend to either cook Bun Bo Xao or look into other Vietnamese food!

I am really grateful for the Asia Travel Study because without it I wouldn’t have learned about some of the cultures of the countries we went into depth with. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who cooked, performed ceremonies, and presented information to us in the class. They were all very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subjects, which made me even more intrigued to learn!