A Taste of India at the Franklin Center
A few weeks back I found myself back in the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies which is home to the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies program. Now a senior, I have had the privilege of taking Hindi classes since my first-year at Duke with Kusum ji. Each semester we come to the John Hope Franklin Center to have a fully immersive cooking class in Hindi. These cooking classes were always one of the most coveted classes of the semester since we got to make any dish we could decide on as a class, and Kusum ji would graciously bring all of the supplies.
My first year in Hindi 101 we made mango lassi and bhelpuri chaat. It was easy to communicate and make these recipes in Hindi since it was straightforward and just required mixing ingredients.
As we progressed in our Hindi curriculum, so did our recipes. In Hindi 102, our class made Masala Aloo Gobi sandwiches, kheer, and chai. Before class, Kusum ji gave us helpful instructions written in Hindi on how to make these recipes. Once we got to class, it was up to us as a class to use our Hindi skills to make all of these recipes (with guidance from Kusum ji, of course). We worked together and divided up the tasks to get it all done in 90 minutes: some people were in charge of making chai, some in charge of making the kheer, and some on getting all the ingredients for the sandwich ready. Once the ingredients were ready, each person personalized their sandwich with their favorite ingredients. It was always a highlight to bond with classmates over a meal we all made together!
Finally, in Hindi 203 the theme for the cooking class was “घर का खाना” or home food. We decided as a class to make काजू-पनीर, रोटी, रायता, and चाय (Cashew-Paneer, Roti, Raita, Chai). Kusum ji also brought us sweets to snack on including चाकलेट आल्मंड बर्फ़ी,
खजूरी पेड़ा, बूंदी लड्डू. In addition to making the dishes, this year we were tasked with decorating the table we would be presenting the food on with रंगोली, फूल, and दीये (rangolis, flowers, and lights). The most challenging part of this cooking class was making the rotis. Thankfully, Kusum ji had already prepared the dough, but it was difficult for us to roll them out into circles! We ended up getting all of the dishes prepared in time and set the table. We had different guests come in and out whom with we were able to converse within Hindi. It was a lot of fun and I was surprised at how much we were able to talk about with people outside of the classroom in Hindi!
To me, a big part of Indian culture is the food, and to be able to practice utilizing my Hindi in this immersive environment is a very useful application and something I will always be grateful for looking back on my time in Hindi classes.
