Zahorán Gábor Tamás (second from the right) is making coconut heart salad with shrimp and meat - Photo: TRỌNG NHÂN
International exchange activities with Vietnamese universities are not uncommon, but they are still relatively new for vocational schools.
This is my first time learning how to prepare seafood.
Almost every day, the Hungarian student and lecturer group will study together with Vietnamese students and trainees. Each session, the students are guided by Vietnamese lecturers and chefs in preparing a new dish. From familiar dishes like beef pho, chicken pho, bun cha, spring rolls, and seafood hot pot, to more unusual ones like fried goat with galangal, steamed free-range chicken with fish sauce, and soft-shell crab with XO sauce...
Zahorán Gábor Tamás, a culinary student at the Békéscsaba Vocational Training Center, says that each Vietnamese dish is a unique culinary journey for him because it differs significantly from Hungarian cuisine . For example, the seasoning is more intense and elaborate. In the beginning, Gábor admitted he didn't know how to combine salt, sugar, and fish sauce to achieve the authentic taste taught by his Vietnamese instructors.
You think the most interesting thing is the seafood. Hungary has no coastline, so the seafood selection is quite limited; instead, traditional Hungarian cuisine focuses on pork, beef, and vegetables. Therefore, during cooking classes involving shrimp, crab, shellfish, etc., Gábor and his classmates were often amazed when they first witnessed the techniques used to prepare and cook these foods.
"Especially when it came to handling live crabs, I was quite scared, but eventually, with guidance, I learned how to do it. It was the first time I had learned these techniques," Gábor said.
Karasz Zóra, a culinary student, said she was quite surprised that many Vietnamese dishes are spicy compared to the general Hungarian standard. Pepper and chili are used extensively in salads, stir-fries, and hot pot dishes. Zóra noticed that almost all Vietnamese dipping sauces contain a little chili.
Zóra said this was her first time "going abroad" to participate in a culinary exchange program, and to a place as far away as Vietnam. But according to Zóra, having studied culinary arts, experience is essential.
"Experiences are not only found inside but also outside of school. For example, in Vietnam, the street food is very diverse, and we learn a lot from it," Zóra shared.
Mr. Hegyi Béla (left) and Mr. Horváth Ferenc use a translation device to communicate in Vietnam - Photo: TRONG NHAN
The story of the translation machine
Mr. Hegyi Béla, F&B (food and beverage) department manager, and Mr. Horváth Ferenc, culinary instructor at the Békéscsaba Vocational Training Center, were the two instructors who participated in the training with the Hungarian students for the past three weeks.
Neither of them was good at English, and of course, they didn't know Vietnamese. So before heading to Vietnam, they bought themselves a translation device, using Google Translate software to translate back and forth between Vietnamese and Hungarian.
The machine was an indispensable tool in every lesson for Béla and Ferenc. When they wanted the Vietnamese chefs to repeat important passages, they would press the button, record, and signal to the instructors to speak slowly so the machine could translate.
Conversely, if they wanted to say something, the two men would hold the device up like a microphone, and then the device would play a translated Vietnamese voice recording for the lecturer and their Vietnamese classmates.
Béla laughed and shared that it might sound complicated, but he had learned almost all the details of each lesson using his translation device. He boasted that for each lesson, corresponding to a dish, he meticulously recorded everything on his phone, from ingredients and cooking methods to small notes. He took photos and videos of each step to have more documentation when he returned home.
Ferenc also took his translation device with him to several food festivals during his time in Ho Chi Minh City, including a large food festival that brought together almost all the famous dishes from all three regions of Vietnam. He considered this a stroke of luck, being able to simultaneously enjoy the culinary characteristics of many different regions of Vietnam.
Overcoming the language barrier, he was able to ask chefs at events for their cooking secrets. "My favorites are the seafood dishes and Vietnamese beef and chicken pho," Ferenc shared.
Opening up job opportunities in Europe
Ms. Vo Thi My Van, Principal of Saigontourist Tourism and Hotel Vocational School, said that the school will be implementing academic exchange activities with vocational schools in Hungary for the first time starting in 2024.
Following the visit of a group of students and lecturers from Hungary to Vietnam to learn about Vietnamese cuisine, another group of students and lecturers from the school is expected to travel to Hungary in September of this year for a similar study experience.
According to Ms. Van, international connections provide students with opportunities to learn, interact, and open up job opportunities in Hungary in particular and European countries in general.
Believe in your path.
Gábor said that becoming a professional chef and traveling to many countries was his childhood dream. Gábor recounted that when his family learned he was studying to become a chef, some advised him that the profession was quite demanding and stressful.
You can also quite empathize with the fact that in Vietnam, many parents often advise their children to choose other paths if they want to study cooking, fearing that it will be hard work with low pay.
"I think it's the same everywhere; what's important is knowing what you want and following your own choices. When you have a passion, you should pursue it. People around you can give you advice, but you are the one who decides your future," Gábor said.
"Perseverance and creativity, I think, are the keys to success for young people studying to become chefs like me," Gábor added.
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