3 minute read

Paella Connections

By Carly Polacek, Jake Steel, Mackenzie Smith | International Food & Culture Class

During our journey abroad, the three of us made a decision to fully immerse ourselves in the food culture of each place we visited.

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When we were in Barcelona during spring break, Jake suggested we take a paella class (he had already taken a similar one during his last excursion there). It seemed like the perfect thing to do, considering it gave us the opportunity to try one of Spain’s famous dishes and to learn the history behind it. We arrived at the class in a little bit of a funk, as we were trying to process the fact that we were being sent home, and this was one of our last adventures together.

The class was organized into two big tables, and most of the activities were done in groups. While one group was prepping the seafood and vegetables, our table was enjoying a traditional Spanish tapas- fresh bread with rubbed tomato, olive oil, cured meat, manchego cheese, salt, topped with a pepper. We enjoyed this food with our table and became instant friends with people who were strangers just a few moments ago.

After the prepping was done, our table went together to cook the paella, which isn’t as easy as it seems! We learned that Barcelona’s traditional paella consists of purely seafood, and the poultry versions come from other areas of Spain. It was amazing to see that learning to cook this dish—stirring the vegetables, pouring the broth, throwing the rice—brought us all together through struggle and laughter. Everyone was eager to help and do their part, making it seem like this dish was truly made by a family. While the paella was cooking, our chef showed us his favorite recipe for sangria. Jake and Carly were able to make it alongside him, while everyone was cheering them on and chatting about their opinions on sangria.

After all the cooking was done, everybody sat down together to enjoy the sangria and paella- not before a proper cheers, of course! While I’m sure the sangria made everyone more outgoing, it seemed as if the whole group was really forming a special bond. The three of us especially connected with one family in particular, which seemed funny at first because we were significantly younger than them, not to mention at very different stages of life. None of this mattered though, as we were all enjoying a homemade meal together, while taking great interest in the culture surrounding it.

After talking throughout the whole meal, the chef invited us to his restaurant for dessert and drinks. Many people called it a night at this point, but us three, along with the family, decided it would be fun to go and continue getting to know each other. Believe it or not, we completely lost track of time, talking for hours about our travel experiences. Between the family of four, we learned many life lessons and looked at life through their lenses. These people are in their later years, realizing that they are not getting any younger. They take advantage of the world around them by visiting one country that they have yet not been to each year. It amazed us that one of the father’s favorite trips was to Cambodia, not what we would immediately think of as a luxury destination. He said that it made him realize how lucky he was to be living comfortably, and able to travel. The one thing he said that really resonated with us was simple, yet meaningful: “You are only young once. Continue to see the world, and take every opportunity that is given to you.”

Had we not signed up for this class, or made conversation with people we otherwise wouldn’t have met, this trip would have been much less memorable. We truly believe the food and drinks we made brought us all together.

It is crazy to think that we made friends halfway across the world, during a time in which we thought our adventures abroad were over. This cooking class opened our eyes to not only trying new foods and drinks, but also to a whole new way of viewing friendships.

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