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April 18, 2017

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Home » District » Minhang

Viva Italia! Chinese students learn vegan cookery

By Lu Feiran | 00:01 UTC+8 April 18, 2017 | Print Edition

FIVE Chinese university students, including two from the Minhang District, recently became a local media sensation in the small Italian town of Pesaro.

Their story began with Tao Yining, a student from Xinzhuang Town who was studying at the China Medical University. Tao was interested in healthy lifestyles and was intrigued to read an online story about Maria’s Rainbow Kitchen in Pesaro that specialized in Italian vegetarian food.

“I loved her concept,” she said. “So I thought I should go to Italy to learn from her first-hand.”

Tao sought companions for the trip. The first to respond was Jin Yifan, a former junior high school classmate who was studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and indulged in cooking as a hobby.

“I replied without hesitation when I saw Tao’s posts about the Italy trip,” he said. “Nothing is better than the chance to study cookery in Italy.”

After three other enthusiasts signed up for the trip, the group contacted Maria’s Rainbow Kitchen to ask if it could sign up for a course.

“Maria was surprised to learn that the name of her kitchen had spread as far as China,” said Tao. “She had never received any Chinese students before.”

The students didn’t speak Italian, and 48-year-old Maria Casciaro didn’t speak much English, so their e-mail communications were somewhat difficult. But in the end, Casciaro agreed to teach them on a one-week course especially tailored for them.

The group of five landed in Bologna and took a train to Pesaro, which is located in the Marche region of central Italy. The town was off the beaten track of Chinese tourism.

Casciaro’s kitchen and classroom were located in a two-floor building she owned with her boy friend. The first floor was the kitchen, and the second floor was reserved for her boy friend’s medical clinic.

Casciaro hired an Italian-English interpreter to make the teaching easier. During the seven-day course, the Chinese learned different courses every day, including breads, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Their meals were the dishes they created.

Everything used in the class was strictly vegan. Chickpea powder was mixed with water to replace eggs in batters, while soybean milk replaced cow’s milk.

“Maria taught us not only how to make the dishes, but she also told us about their origins and the nutritional value of the raw ingredients,” said Tao. “A vegan diet can meet every nutritional need of the human body.”

The students particularly enjoyed the daily trips to the market, where they could not only buy fresh ingredients but also observe the lifestyle of local people. Tao said the concept of a healthy diet was deeply ingrained in the local community and borne out by the produce sold in the market.

“Almost all the fruits and vegetables were organic,” she said.

The arrival of Chinese in a town not used to seeing them naturally provoked interest among local residents. On the second day after their arrival, local media came to the class to interview them. Several days later, the group was invited to city hall to meet the mayor.

“It was a bit weird that people were so interested in us,” said Tao. “Former students and food suppliers of Maria’s also came to the class to talk to us.”

The friendships that were created didn’t end when the students finished the course and returned to Shanghai. Through an online chat group, they continue to exchange recipes and food ideas with Casciaro and others.

“I still need to do some research when adapting Maria’s methods with the ingredients available in China,” Tao said.

Jin said his first successful creation after returning home was a vegan chocolate cake. Family and friends who tasted it said the cake was “lighter and fresher” than cake found in China.

“None of us plan to make cooking a career, but it remains something we want to do for as long as possible,” he said. “I believe that sticking to a healthy lifestyle is as challenging as pursuing a career. It needs perseverance and constant improvement.”

Minhang


 

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