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As an important part of Italian culture, cooking is the centerpiece of my study abroad curriculum. Although I was disappointed we didn’t start cooking right away, now that we have started I couldn’t be more excited to go to class and learn how to make the meals. Christine, our teacher, is the head chef at a restaurant in the trendy Trastevere area called Glass. She specializes in more modern Roman cuisine.

The first lesson involved cooking risotto and carbonara, a Roman pasta sauce that I order almost every time I eat out. The risotto turned out better than the pasta but both were very good and are not terribly difficult to make. The next day was a little more adventurous: veal and fish. We started by walking to a local market and picking out the beef and fish. I’m not the biggest fan of fish but I occasionally enjoy salmon and other non-fish seafood. This trip is about experiencing new things and having an open mind, however, so I was excited to make the fish. Both meals turned out to be very tasty, even the fish.

I’m excited to learn more dishes and cooking skills. Maybe I won’t starve next year.