What made you decide to study in Kyoto?
Five years ago when I studied at a university inChina, I first came to Kyoto on a family trip and ateauthentic Japanese cuisine at a Japaneserestaurant in Arashiyama. Since I knew Japanesecuisine contains less seasoning, I thought, ” Itmust be too bland to taste good.” When I tried it,however, I was surprised that the original taste ofthe ingredients is finely brought out through theuse of soup stock. I had always loved eating,but the surprising experience of encounteringJapanese cuisine made me want to learn cookingin Kyoto, the home of Japanese cuisine culture.
How is your student life in Kyoto?
At first, I sometimes didn’t understand what myteachers and classmates were saying. First, Imemorized the terminology of cooking and thenpracticed listening and conversation. Now I canunderstand almost everything, and I have beenable to make friends. There are many restaurantsin Kyoto, so my favorite thing to do is to explorecheap, delicious restaurants with my friends.Also, the cooking practice class is particularlyfun. Since I particularly like fried foods, I findpracticing cooking tempura [Japanese-styledeep-fried dish] quite exciting. However, tempurawill not taste delicious if any one of the oiltemperature, the thickness of the tempura batter,or the frying time is not correct. Thus, I am veryhappy when I eat tempura I have made and find ittastes good.
What is your future goal?
After graduation, I would like to gain experienceat a Japanese restaurant first. Through theexperience, I will improve my cooking skills,Japanese language, and customer service skillsto fulfill my dream in the future, running my ownJapanese cuisine restaurant. I would love to runa kappo-style restaurant, where the chef cooksand serves dishes while talking to customersover an open counter. My goal is to utilize mylanguage skills to entertain customers fromvarious countries in Kyoto, where tourists fromall over the world gather, and to be recognizedby them for my delicious dishes.
Tell me something you have got from your time in Kyoto?
A Pufferfish Cooking License. This was the firsttime for me to get a qualification in somethingthat I liked. It was also proof that my effortscould bring about a desirable result.
