During JanTerm, I took Food Chemistry & Global Perspectives. In this course, we explored how science, culture, and food intersect across different cuisines. We did almost all of our cooking at Cook’s Warehouse. During the first week, we developed foundational kitchen skills such as knife techniques, recipe writing, and preparing our mise en place, while also tackling some of the chemistry behind cooking processes like emulsification, protein denaturation, and the Maillard reaction.

During the second week, we explored and made food from different cuisines, including Japanese and Mexican. Some of the most memorable moments included hands-on classes at Cook’s Warehouse, where we worked with professional chefs to study herbs and spices, breadmaking, and sauces. 

Visiting the Buford Highway Farmers Market was also one of my favorite trips, as it showed how food reflects the international cultural atmosphere in Atlanta. Lastly, during the third and final week, we completed our final project at Cook’s Warehouse, in which we chose a dish, made a recipe for it, made the dish from scratch, and presented it to three judges, who evaluated our oral and visual presentation. 

For my final project, I made potstickers from scratch, a dish that my family and I love to make during celebrations and important holidays such as Lunar New Year.

Overall, I not only learned about different food cuisines and the science behind cooking, but most importantly, I improved my cooking skills, a valuable life skill. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who loves food and cooking or wants to learn how to cook.