For as long as I can remember, I have been a self-proclaimed “foodie.” Even though that term reached peak popularity about seven years ago, I can’t think of a more appropriate description. Some of my earliest memories involve watching Rachel Ray make meals in 30 minutes and creating a menu for my imaginary restaurant, Butterfly Butterfly. As I grew, I learned more from Iron Chefs like Michael Simon, whose restaurant I visited when I was 8 years old. I used to pause Chopped so I could work out what I would do with the mystery ingredients. I enjoyed seeing Gordon Ramsey curse out contestants on Hell’s Kitchen. There was just one thing missing from my food-enthusiast lifestyle: I barely knew how to cook.

In theory, I was solid. But in practice, I rarely had the chance. My whole family was eternally busy with school, work, and sports. As a teenager, I was out of the house from 7:30am to 7:30pm. There wasn’t any time for me to practice skills that I had only seen on screen. My parents, who both worked, relied on simple, crowd-pleasing recipes. Salmon, buffalo chicken breasts, stromboli, bratwurst, steak, eat out, rinse, repeat. Everyone was happy with the outcome, so the cycle never changed.

It wasn’t until I came to college and became friends with people from different backgrounds or parts of the world that I realized not everyone ate like I did. I simultaneously realized that the Food Network had quite a preference for the standard American cuisine. Through meeting those new people, I was exposed to new cultures, specifically by discussing, cooking, and eating new foods. This effect was amplified by the pandemic, during which cooking had to become part of my daily routine. I tried to branch out from the family regulars with Korean barbeque pork, butter chicken, pad thai, and carnitas. I got more comfortable with knowing when to add lemon juice to brighten up a soup, or when cinnamon was acceptable in savory contexts rather than solely sweet ones. Exposing myself to flavors from different corners of the globe enhanced my understanding of cooking fundamentals.

My newfound love for foreign foods got me thinking about the impact that food has on cultures and communities. Food is essential; it exists in the routine of every single person globally. How does my connection with food differ from someone else’s? How can we learn about other cultures through cooking? In order to answer those questions, I have recreated dishes from 11 different countries across the globe, and have documented this process on this site.

This experience has broadened my horizons and helped me to form connections with places I’ve never travelled to and countries I might never see. With every dish, I’ve pushed myself to understand something about the cuisine and the culture. I’ve mulled over why French cuisine is considered the finest or why Cambodian meals are the most overlooked. I hope to share my recipes, processes, and two cents with other food enthusiasts who would like to learn a bit more about the cuisines around our world.