Online summer course «Bites from Asia: a journey to Asian gastronomy through cinema»

Would you like to taste different Asian dishes with your eyes? During its century of existence, cinema has been the biggest introducer to food and taste, providing the public with unique and unforgettable sequences that have shown them to eat, taste and appreciate the culture of haute cuisine. 

This course invites you to discover a new way of experiencing food, where ingredients, preparation and desserts, have an enormous significance. A great menu to begin the holidays in the best way possible. Besides, at the end of each of the five classes, we offer the students a recipe from the country which is being addressed in order to give them the opportunity to try them at home.

Menu for great and not-so-great gourmets:

• 1. Appetizers: Japan. Monday, 12th of July, from 19.00 h to 21.00 h
  Menu: Ramen Udon, Okonomiyaki, Tempura, Yakisoba, Sukiyaki, Gyoza, Sushi.
  Japanese gastronomy is another reflection of its country’s culture. One thing cannot be understood without the other. To those who enjoy this country’s food will be delighted in a true paradise of unsual and diverse flavour combinations on the same plate, and even on different plates in the same menu. Through movies such as An Autumn Afternoon (1962), Tampopo (1985) Udon (2006), Dead Sushi (2012), Sweet Bean (2015), or The Last Recipe (2017), we will review Japanese gastronomy.
• 2. Starters: South Korea. Tuesday, 13th of July, from 19.00 h to 21.00 h
  Menu: Banchan, Kimchi, Jatjuk, Ternera con salsa Bulgogi, Bibimbap. Traditional Korean dessert.
  Korean gastronomy features simple and healthy ingredients, and a great amount of diverse garnishes, usually made with fermented vegetables. Through films such as 301/302 (1995), Oldboy (2003), Le Grand Chef (2017), On the Beach at Night Alone (2017), Extreme Job (2018) Little Forest (2018), Parasite (2019) and Minari (2021), we will immerse ourselves in the dishes of Korean gastronomy.
• 3. Main Course: Chinese Universe. Wednesday, 14th of July, from 19.00 h to 21.00 h
  Menu: Dumplings, Tai San Yuan, Peking Duck, Wanton mee, Chicken Rice from Hainan, Sheng Jian.
  Chinese gastronomy is one of the richest due to the country’s ancient culinary culture, and it is widely represented all over the world. It can be said that originally, it comes from different regions of China. Chinese food is deeply related not only to society, but also to philosophy and Chinese medicine. A journey through films such as Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), God of Cookery (1996), In the Mood for Love (2000), Green Tea (2003), Dumplings (2004), Cook Up a Storm (2017), Chongquing Hot Pot (2017).
• 4. Dessert: India. Thursday, 15th of July, from 19.00 h to 21.00 h
  Menu: Masala Dosa, Tandoori Chicken, Kashmiri Aloo Dum, Bhelpuri, Mithaa paan, Masala chai.
  Indian cuisine represents frequently intense species’ aromas, spicy and tasty dishes, teas and currys in multiple variations. However, did you knew that, along its 28 states, each one has its own dishes and local ingredients which are not consumed in other regions of the country? We will travel through Indian gastronomy thanks to films such as Monsoon Wedding (2001), Stanley Ka Dabba (2011), The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), The Lunchbox (2016), Maacher Jhol (2017), y Gulabjaam (2018).
• 5. Tea, infusions, and other delicatessen: South-East Asia. Friday, 16th of July, from 19.00 h to 21.00 h
  Menu: Pad thai, Roti, Larb, Pho, Fish Amok, Bánh mì, Satay, Chicken adobo.
  Bit by bit, South-East Asian gastronomy has win adepts. A cuisine that joins millennary traditions of its people with Chinese and Indian culinary influences leads to a great variety of dishes and customs mutually in common. Every one of them delicious and with flavours you may have never tasted before. Hence, if you decide to travel to South-East Asia, you cannot avoid the opportunity to taste the typical food of the region. A la verticale de l’été (2000), The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), Ramen Shop (2018), Street Food (2009), Raya and the last dragon (2021)

Faculty:

Eduard Terrades Vicens

With a Master in radio, he is a writer and critic expert in Japanese culture and cinematography, and a member of CineAsia since 2005, after collaborating with different media and specialized portals on Japanese culture (Eikyo, Nipoweb, Otaku Bunka …) . He has written books (Made in Kitano, Ten Years of Asian Terror), curated exhibitions, imparted lectures and collaborated assiduously at the Manga Barcelona salon.

Víctor Muñoz 

An active member of the CineAsia team, Víctor has specialized in the work of Web Manager and Community Manager (he runs the blog and social media -Facebook, Twitter and Instagram-) of CineAsia. A die-hard movie buff, he has specialized in Asian filmmaking for 20 years and has written a multitude of articles and film reviews from Asia.

Ricard Planas 

Ricard has a degree in Philosophy (UB), East Asian Studies (Pompeu Fabra-UAB) and a Master in Chinese Studies (Pompeu Fabra). He does a stay at the Beijing Foreign Studies University as an ICO grantee. He currently has just completed his doctoral thesis on the filmmaker Yuan Muzhi and teaches the subject of History of Chinese cinema at Pompeu Fabra University. Last year he published for the Berenice publishing house the book History of Chinese cinema.

Gloria Fernández  

With a degree in Journalism and a founding member of CineAsia, Gloria has collaborated in various publications and coordinated and written books, including Johnnie To: Redefining Author’s Cinema for the Sitges-International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, or Brillante Mendoza, portraying the Philipines’ reality or Hong Sang-soo’s cinema for the Gijón Film Festival. Combining her teaching work at universities (UB, UMA, UIC), she is currently a programmer for the Sitges Festival and assiduously collaborates in other festivals, institutions and cultural centers such as the La Caixa Foundation, Casa Asia or the Filmoteca de Catalunya

Enrique Garcelán  

With a degree in Film Direction and Screenplay, he is a founding member of CineAsia. Enrique is part of the Programming Committee of the Sitges Film Festival and Malaga Fancine. He combines this work with teaching at universities (UAB, UB, UIC, UMA, Carlos III University), film schools (La Casa del Cine, San Antonio de los Baños in Cuba), with collaboration with other festivals, institutions and centers culture, such as the La Caixa Foundation, Casa Asia and the Filmoteca de Catalunya.