A Taste of Culture: Hindi 101’s Cooking Class

Hindi 101 is a very special language class. In addition to learning how to read, write and speak, Dr. Kusum Knapczyk emphasizes experiential learning and immersing ourselves in Indian culture. Recently, Hindi 101 students came together with friends and family on Family Weekend for a memorable cooking class. The class began by preparing ingredients for pav bhaji, mango lassi and pani puri. Students had read recipes beforehand and were ready to jump into the cooking process, with guidance from Kusum ji.

One of my favorite parts of this class was seeing my peers shine in different aspects of the process. While everyone had varying levels of cooking experience, everyone was excited to learn and participate, which led to a successful and delicious meal. I haven’t cooked much myself, but the videos and recipes we studied beforehand helped me feel more confident. Kusum ji also picked familiar dishes that I’ve enjoyed many times before, which made it even more enjoyable to help prepare them. 

In addition to the cooking process itself, I enjoyed talking to the parents, some peers I hadn’t previously talked to, and another professor who stopped by. This sense of connection deepened as we sat down to eat together. The pani puri gave us an authentic taste of Indian street food, while the mango lassi and pav bhaji brought the warmth and familiarity of home-cooked food. Throughout the class, students could be heard using their new Hindi vocabulary to talk amongst themselves and to parents. 

Language classes can often feel disjointed from the culture(s) the language represents, especially for first-time learners. Activities like this cooking class help bridge this gap, allowing students to feel connected to Indian culture and have an opportunity to apply their language skills in authentic contexts. As laughter and the aroma of pav bhaji filled the air, this cooking class truly felt like a celebration of our progress in Hindi, made even more special by Family Weekend and upcoming Diwali festivities.

Some comments from other students:

Anay: I liked that the cooking class was hands on and that it taught me how to make one of my favorite foods. It taught me the different cooking methods used when cooking Indian dishes. It helped me engage with the class more and further immerse myself in Indian culture.

Yana: I loved cooking class because it gave me an opportunity to learn how to cook food from my culture and how recipes can be different for each family and origin. The way my family makes Pav Bhaji and Mango Lassi is different, but it was just as good and fun following a different recipe and seeing the different Indian flavors come to life! It was also fun showing the parents who came all the progress we have made and being able to go back home to my family and make a dish for them instead! I think it is very important to learn about Indian culture along with the Hindi language, and the cooking class allowed for just that!

Dhanya: The cooking class was a fun opportunity to practice my Hindi skills and engage with my peers away from a classroom setting. I enjoyed naming the different vegetables and replicating recipes I had read in class or for homework, with the added benefit of enjoying a tasty meal at the end. We got to experience an array of items, from mango lassi to pav bhaji, and the food we made gave me a taste of home, especially since our cooking class coincided with family weekend. I had been looking forward to this day since I first read it on the syllabus, and now that it is over, I can confidently say that the cooking class has been my favorite part of the course thus far.

This event was supported by Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.