I’ve Taken 15 Cooking Classes Around the World. Here’s What I Learned

By

Sharon McDonnell,

In South India, I suddenly realized that every Indian restaurant in the U.S. I’d ever eaten in never featured the food of this tropical region, save for a dish here or there. In Bangkok, I

ate the best pad Thai I’ve ever tasted. In Marrakech, Morocco, I learned the secrets behind dishes that combine meat cooked with fruit, such as chicken stews with dates, or chicken with

green olives and lemon, which I adored at restaurants. Same in China’s Sichuan province, famous for its fiery foods: I have yet to meet a dish too spicy for my taste. 

I love to dive deep into a culture and history when I travel. I’m not alone. AARP’s Lifelong Learning survey of adults 45-plus found that 55 percent were actively learning something new, and

42 percent called themselves lifelong learners. History was the topic of most interest at 43 percent, while interest in educational travel opportunities came in at 35 percent.

Instead of just looking at sights and munching food without a second thought, I like to do something tactile to feel like an active participant and to engage more deeply with the physical

world around me. A cooking class is the ultimate souvenir: a gift that keeps on giving, not just a trinket. It’s also a practical skill whose lessons I apply constantly as I cook for myself

and others. And when I crave a certain dish at home, I don’t need to spend at a restaurant: I can make it myself. I’ve taken 15 cooking classes in France, Italy, Mexico, Bali, Malaysia,

Morocco, India, Thailand, Scotland, Fiji, New Orleans, San Francisco and New York over decades of traveling.

Sure, dining in a foreign country is one way to immerse yourself. “But taking it to the next step and learning how to cook that food is even more immersive … [as cooking instructors] share

educational context about the ingredients, the history of the dishes, and their cultural cooking methods,” says Kelsey Knoedler Perri from Road Scholar, a tour operator for older adults that

provides cooking classes on many of its tours, from Sicily to Savannah, Georgia.