CAPA WORLD

In this week's post, Rachel takes you on a tour of her favorite breakfast spots near the CAPA Shanghai center—from bakeries and coffee shops to breakfast sushi and more!

Sydney Alderman is an official CAPA blogger, sharing her story on CAPA World. A Marketing and Global Management major at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Sydney.

In this week's post, Sydney recommends several things to do and places to visit and eat around the neighborhood of Ultimo in Sydney. 

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Now that I’ve been in Sydney for a little bit, I know my way around a few parts of the city, including Ultimo, the my neighborhood. One thing that the neighborhood has is the main campus for the University of Technology Sydney. One of the main buildings, the UTS Tower, is very recognizable due to its’ height and large UTS sign at the top of the building, and fortunately for me and the other CAPA students, only about a block from our residence. During our first few weeks here when we were figuring out our way around, we were able to look up for that tower and use it to find our bearings and help us make sure we were going in the right direction to get home. Ultimo also has the largest TAFE campus in New South Wales, which is also super close to my apartment and includes the CAPA Sydney building where I take classes.

A breakfast sandwich from Fork and Grind

As for food, one of my favorite places to eat (so far) and hands down one of the best cafes I’ve ever been to is in Ultimo. Behold, Fork and Grind. If I could franchise it and put it on my campus in Pittsburgh I would spend all of my savings and do it in a heartbeat. Because it’s so close to home and classes, we go pretty often, and I promise I have thoroughly sampled their menu.

In this week's post, Christopher opens himself up to a new culinary experience in London and falls in love with Indian food.

When I left for London to study abroad, I had prior knowledge that English people loved Indian Food. My dad would tell me stories about his experience in London during his early twenties and how he practically lived off of it for two years. This was 30 years ago, a time when London may not have really been recognized for its food (according to my dad). Over the past three decades there has been a cultural growth occurring in all parts of the city, in which people from all cultures are utilizing their differences and experiences to open places with varieties of cuisines. Londoners have made such a big turn that people will go as far to even say that London has become the food capital of the modern world.

Trisha is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An International Business major at Champlain College, she is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Trisha dishes what it's like to eat like a local in Shanghai and shares examples on how she stays open to new food.

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Eating in Shanghai has been the biggest no-holds-barred cultural experience (and shock) thus far, and without access to a kitchen in our residence (where we would otherwise be able to tap out and prepare a western meal on occasion), we all experienced a head-first dive into the intricacies of the local cuisine. The first culinary encounter I faced was the breakfast provided at our residence. Besides boiled eggs, all the foods were very heavy and what I would consider to be lunch or dinner meals. These were things like pan-fried noodles, fried rice and corn on the cob, giant steamed pork buns and many varieties of hot cabbage, hot cucumbers, and eggplant. It was a difficult adjustment to make from the light cereal and toast breakfasts with maybe a few sausage links or strips of bacon many of us are accustomed to having back home so early before work or class.

In fact, many of my peers resorted to strictly eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they provided us bread and condiments for. My coworker Billy and I eventually found ourselves migrating our breakfast routine to the fried pancake street food they serve at a cart outside our internship office. They crack an egg inside and wrap it up with either Chinese sausage (which is a bit sweet) or basted chicken. It’s still a bit heavy for breakfast, but at least it’s similar to foods we’d usually consider in the early morning!

Tylor is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Business Communication major at Arizona State University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Tylor shares her experience at Klaw, a popular seafood restaurant in Dublin.

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Thanks Tylor!

Tylor's journey continues every Friday so stay tuned.

Tylor is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Business Communication major at Arizona State University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Tylor goes beyond Dublin and experiences the local flavor in Madrid and Lisbon.

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Thanks Tylor!

Tylor's journey continues every Friday so stay tuned.

Kristopher (also known as Kip) is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Finance major at University of Colorado - Boulder, he is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Kristopher reacts to trying his favorite Italian dishes and appreciates the cuisine in Florence.

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Thanks Kip!

Kristopher's journey continues every Tuesday so stay tuned.

Hayley is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Communication and Media major at Merrimack College, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Hayley walks us through her day-to-day activities on her study abroad experience.

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It’s officially been ten days since I arrived in the city of Florence. During my ten first days I feel as if I have accomplished a lot. I’ve explored the city, memorized how to navigate around without getting lost, tried some of the best places to eat, and fought off a mean case of jet lag.

Even though it’s only been a little over a week, I've began to notice a cycle in my day-to-day life. Establishing a schedule has been a very good tool to manage my busy days here in Florence. Because there is so much going on in the city, every day is filled with something new and exciting. But, I found that trying to maintain a schedule definitely helps manage getting the most out of my day.

Here’s a look at what a day in my life looks like living in Florence!

There isn't much better than trying food from all around the world. At CAPA, our Global Cities Program offers study abroad and internship programs in six of the worlds' major cities. Each city has a massive amount of unique dishes comprised of many flavors. Here's just a taste of each city’s style of food. How many of these foods have you tried before?

1. Buenos Aires- Asado

Although it might seem generic, the national dish of Argentina is a must try! An asado, essentially a giant barbecue, is a mix of meats that are grilled to perfection. The meat may include pork, beef, sausages, and much more, all topped with a variety of spices and special sauces.

Madeline Messina is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Advertising major and a French and Francophone Studies minor at the University of Florida, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Madeline delves into foodie paradise, telling us the history of Irish food and reccomending some places to eat.

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Before I came to Ireland, I had a lot of people warn me that the food in Ireland is dry and bland. According to them, all I would eat were potatoes and corned beef. The only person who told me that food in Ireland is good, was someone who had been there them self.

Photo: tea and strawberry scones

So where do these stereotypes come from? In my research about Irish food history, I learned that a lot of the stigma against Irish food comes from the wave of immigrants during the Irish potato famine. When the Irish came in to the United States, they needed to support themselves, so many opened restaurants. Since they didn’t have much money, they used cheaper alternatives in their cooking, such as beef instead of pork (hence corned beef). This may be where the stereotypes stem from.