Growing up in Beijing, I had heard the rumors. Food in America is different. It takes some adjusting. I brushed the rumors off.
I’d lived in Washington D.C. before I started middle school, so I figured I knew what I was getting into.
But when I first walked into Allison Dining Commons and saw a sad, fried cheese sandwich staring at me, I just stared back. Living in D.C. did not prepare me for this.
I missed home. Images of Beijing hot pot flashed through my mind. Lamb slices in bubbling broth, dipping sauces mixed just right. I missed food that felt familiar.
Then someone introduced me to Chipotle. We don’t have that in China, so I’d never had it before. I walked up to the counter and froze. Rice or tortilla? What even is guac? I had no idea what half of the items were. So I just copied the cherub in front of me and ordered a honey chicken bowl with black beans, white rice and sour cream on top.
That first bite? Game changer. Warm rice, umami chicken, a hint of spice from the beans — all in perfect proportion. I went back every week after that. I’m already mourning the day I can’t get my burrito bowl fix in Beijing.
The dining hall grew on me too. The salad bar stopped looking so intimidating. I actually started liking the mac and cheese, the waffles with syrup and the chocolate chip pancakes.
Another international student, Sophie Lee of Daegu, South Korea, said she noticed the very large portion sizes of American food.
“I could eat a normal portion here with two of my friends,” Lee said.
Lee said the heavy flavors of food in America were also hard to ignore. Everything seemed to have added an extra spoon of salt or sugar.
“Yesterday, I went to Insomnia Cookies, and I had a sugar rush afterwards,” Lee said.
Arsen Shymon of Oleksandrivka, Ukraine said food in America can be hit or miss. But if he had to compare, the food is much too bland when compared to his hometown meals.
“It’s completely different, especially in terms of vegetables and fruits,” Shymon said. “The biggest difference that I see is, for example, in Ukraine and in Europe in general, I feel like when you taste the fruits, you can really taste the flavor, and here sometimes you don’t always.”
Whenever Rania Raj of London is faced with too much unfamiliar food, she said she resorts to her stash of hummus chips, digestive biscuits, dried fruit and nuts from home.
“I would have my food from home sometimes, and then I would go and try something new every day to try and balance it out,” Raj said.
While exploring downtown Evanston, Lee said she discovered Koco Table, a Korean restaurant.
“It really made me feel closer to home in a way because I’ve been craving Korean food, not just instant ramen noodles, but just handmade Korean foods,” Lee said. “Because the restaurant was also owned by a Korean grandma, it was way more heartwarming, and I felt a bit closer to my home and my family.”
Daisy Yin of Shenzhen, China, went to a Chinese restaurant with friends during the second week of the program. One especially memorable dish was yān sǔn chǎo ròu. Each bite of the bamboo slices unleashed a rush of savory richness.
“Even before the dishes even came, I was already about to cry,” Yin said. “The first bite is just like heaven. It made me feel so at home.”
Food isn’t just food. It’s how you find home, one unexpected bite at a time.
With reporting from Jiayue Zou
