S3E32: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Anushka Pathak of India

In this our thirty-second (32nd) episode of Season 3, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international culinary student Anushka Pathak of India about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Anushka!

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Transcript

Evan Franulovich  0:05  
Welcome to Seattle Colleges International Programs and our show 'Conversations with!', where we talk to people that help you understand how you too, can be an international student in the United States and why Seattle Colleges should be your first choice. We'll talk to students and staff and agents and government folks, all kinds of people about what you can expect when you're getting ready to apply or travel here, what you'll experience while you're with us, and how it can all lead to an amazing life. Don't forget to check out the Seattle Colleges International Programs website at intl.seattlecolleges.edu where you can find a treasure trove of information about the school, the programs here and best of all, fill out and submit your application. Again, that's intl.seattlecolleges.edu.

Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with!' We're here at Seattle Central College. 

Anushka Pathak  1:13  
We are. 

Evan Franulovich  1:14  
...which is a great place for our culinary program. And today, brand new graduate as of yesterday or today.

Anushka Pathak  1:23  
It was yesterday. 

Evan Franulovich  1:25  
Brand new graduate. So exciting. Congratulations! 

Anushka Pathak  1:29  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  1:30  
Why don't you tell everybody who you are, what the program is? You can be more specific. 

Anushka Pathak  1:36  
Okay.

Evan Franulovich  1:37  
Where you're from exactly, and then how long you been here maybe?

Anushka Pathak  1:41  
Okay. Hi everyone! My name is Anushka Partak, and I'm from Pune, India. I came here in 2023 to do my culinary arts program at Seattle Central College. It was a good program overall. There are five quarters. So, each quarter you do different things, and you kind of just like progress. Each quarter, there's so much to do. And then I just graduated yesterday, it was my last official day of school. And yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  2:14  
So off you go to your next thing. Which we'll talk about in a moment. But first, let's get a little bit of a background on so you're from Pune, India, yes, as a little girl growing up there, did you go to private or public school? 

Anushka Pathak  2:30  
It was a private school. I feel like growing up, I always had that love inside me of cooking. I remember when I was seven, I made my first perfect Roti. So Roti is like a Indian bread that they call it here. So people take years to master that, but I remember I did that when I was seven. And yeah, ever since then, I had that cooking love inside me. 

Evan Franulovich  2:57  
Right. 

Anushka Pathak  2:58  
I remember people studying for their exams, and I was in the kitchen cooking. 

Evan Franulovich  3:03  
You must have a mentor. Who was it that turned you on to cooking? Was it your grandmother? Your mother? Your father? 

Anushka Pathak  3:10  
My mom, because she's a really good cook. 

Evan Franulovich  3:13  
Yeah? 

Anushka Pathak  3:14  
And looking at her like when she used to cook in the kitchen, that just really got me. And that's when I started practicing. I remember just practicing my techniques, my skills, ever since I was a little girl. 

Evan Franulovich  3:26  
Really? 

Anushka Pathak  3:28  
Yeah, and then when I started getting good at it, that's when I realized that, I have this inside me. I have this passion, and I need to pursue it. And that's when I applied for Seattle Central. 

Evan Franulovich  3:40  
Right. So you went through high school... 

Anushka Pathak  3:44  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  3:45  
...was there a focus on culinary at that high school? 

Anushka Pathak  3:47  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  3:48  
Oh. 

Anushka Pathak  3:48  
So in Pune, there was this college where they have specialization in culinary, like arts kind of program. So you get high school degree in food production. So when I did my 10th grade, that's when I realized, I need to pursue my passion, which was culinary. So let's try High School in culinary, and that's what I did. And then I applied to college. I did that for two years, and then when I finished that, I applied for a diploma. 

Evan Franulovich  4:19  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  4:19  
Which was also in food processing. 

Evan Franulovich  4:22  
Right. Is it hard to get into that school? 

Anushka Pathak  4:25  
It's not that hard. But also, I got really good grades in 10th grade. A lot of people around me were saying, 'Since you have good grades, why don't you try science.' But my heart was just telling me, I need to go to this school. I need to do my high school. And that's what I did. 

Evan Franulovich  4:46  
Okay. So a lot of Indian students that I talk to are like, 'Mom and dad want me to be an engineer, or they want me to be a doctor.' Were your parents really supportive of you doing this? 

Anushka Pathak  4:55  
Very. Even my sister. So my mom, dad, and my sister, they motivated me. At that time I wasn't sure. Low key, my brain was just telling me, what if everyone's right, what if I need to go to science. But then they kind of give me that reassurance, saying that, 'If you like this, go for your passion.'

Evan Franulovich  5:14  
That's awesome. 

Anushka Pathak  5:15  
'If you love culinary, then do it, but do it with your whole heart. Don't just do it for the sake of it.' 

Evan Franulovich  5:22  
Good advice right there. 

Anushka Pathak  5:24  
Just like, if you want to pursue something, just go all in. 

Evan Franulovich  5:28  
And shout out to her parents for supporting you. That's so great. So you went through this school? 

Anushka Pathak  5:36  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  5:37  
What was the school? Well, let me ask you this, was it similar to what you did here? Or was it way different? 

Anushka Pathak  5:43  
It was different. It was a lot of Marathi cuisine. So I'm from Maharashtra, and we have a lot of Marathi cuisines, which are traditional. And that's what I learned in that school, how to cook them properly. So yeah, and that's what we studied, but it was a lot different than what we do here. So in this school, in my program, what we have is two restaurants and one cafe. So the cafe is The Buzz Cafe, which is run by the pastry students. 

Evan Franulovich  6:15  
And it smells so good. 

Anushka Pathak  6:17  
It does. And then we have two restaurants, which is One World and Square One. So One World is a fine dining restaurant where fourth quarter students cook. And then our best bistro is where the third quarter students make food. So we are kind of trained in those two restaurants. We cook there four days a week. I feel like I was always there. It's fun. It's challenging, but if you have that passion inside you, then you know you can do it.

Evan Franulovich  6:53  
You guys allow just normal students to just go down and order food, if i want, right? 

Anushka Pathak  7:01  
Yes, yes. 

Evan Franulovich  7:01  
The public can come in and eat at the restaurants. 

Anushka Pathak  7:04  
Everyone can. If you're just here to just see the college, you can come in. If you're  someone's friend, you can just come in. I've had my friends come in there and eat all the time. The food is really good. 

Evan Franulovich  7:17  
It's really good. 

Anushka Pathak  7:18  
We are open to public starting from Tuesday to Friday. From 11 to 1. 

Evan Franulovich  7:24  
Yeah, it's not inexpensive, so be prepared. It's not the kind of thing you're going to do every day. 

Anushka Pathak  7:31  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  7:31  
But it is worth a special occasion or something. It's cool. All right, so you went through this school, graduated, and then you thought, all right, I'll go to the United States. Did you always kind of thought about going overseas to study? 

Anushka Pathak  7:47  
So the reason I came here is when I did my diploma in India, that's when I wanted to do a degree. But in India, we have Hotel Management, in which we have, front office, housekeeping. So we have like different sections in this industry. But my focus was mainly on just like Culinary Arts and just like food. So I didn't want to do the other sections. And we don't have Culinary Arts degree in India. 

Evan Franulovich  8:13  
What?

Anushka Pathak  8:13  
 Yeah, it's we don't have a specialized degree. We have cultural management degree. So that's when I started looking online. I started looking at other countries, and then I found this college. I looked at the program, I read everything, I got in touch with the dean, and then that's when I realized this is a very good program, and I have to do it. So I applied, I got into it, and now I'm here, I graduated. 

Evan Franulovich  8:37  
That's cool. 

Anushka Pathak  8:38  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:38  
So you applied, you got accepted, and then you have to get an visa interview. 

Anushka Pathak  8:44  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  8:45  
So when I talk to students from India, they're always interested in that part of it, because a lot of people are trying to get their visas to come study. 

Anushka Pathak  8:52  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  8:53  
Let's hear about your experience. 

Anushka Pathak  8:54  
Okay, so I just want to say, when I was going to apply for my visa. A lot of people kept telling me, you won't get your visa because you're going into a community college, which is not true, trust me. 

Evan Franulovich  9:07  
Not true. 

Anushka Pathak  9:08  
It's not true, please. Because I remember when I was applying, everyone were scaring me so much. They were like, 'You won't get it because it's a community college.' That's not true. Because you just need to get your documents right. And then they do your biometrics. You will still have to follow the same process, and you will get the visa. 

Evan Franulovich  9:34  
We have a number of students from India at our three campuses, so lots of people are getting their visas. 

Anushka Pathak  9:42  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  9:42  
And there are many community colleges all over the US, and lots of students from India. So it is possible, guys. I think the parents, I've talked to... India is not my territory, but I've talked to a number of people. Parents get confused about what exactly a community college is, because there is no real equivalent in India. 

Anushka Pathak  10:01  
Yeah. We don't have specially labeled community colleges in India. That's not what we call them in India. Yeah, we have colleges, we don't label them as community. 

Evan Franulovich  10:14  
Gotcha. 

Anushka Pathak  10:15  
So that was kind of confusing for my parents too. 

Evan Franulovich  10:17  
For sure. 

Anushka Pathak  10:18  
When I was applying, a lot of people had negative things to say about it. I didn't let let that get to me honestly. I like the program, and then I was like, let's go for it. If I don't get the visa, then I had a plan B. But as of now, I just wanted to get the visa, and I did.

Evan Franulovich  10:37  
So yeah, parents out there, if you're in India right now, and you're a parent, and you're like, 'What is this community college thing?' It is university work, you are doing post high school work. 

Anushka Pathak  10:47  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:47  
So it's not a glorified High School. It's not just vocational technical, we do have vocational technical programs like culinary. But you also be a biochemistry major, and you could watch podcasts with one of our female students from India. So lots of options here. Check out community colleges. 

Anushka Pathak  11:06  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  11:06  
Don't discount them. I'm glad you said that. 

Anushka Pathak  11:08  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  11:09  
Well, cool. So let's hear about your visa interview. Well, first of all, from the time you got your I-20 to the time you did your interview. How much time was it? Because usually the wait times are long. 

Anushka Pathak  11:22  
It is. I would say it was like a month. 

Evan Franulovich  11:23  
Oh, that's not bad.

Anushka Pathak  11:24  
That's not bad, really. I'm not 100% because that was like a long time for me. But yeah, it was, it was not more than three months, for sure. I think it was like a month. But yeah, for my visa interview, I set up a date for my biometrics. So day one, you do your biometrics, and day two, you go for your interview. But for me, the case was a bit different. So I went to Mumbai to give my biometrics, and I went in, I did my biometrics, and there was this lady standing there, and she goes, 'Okay, now you have your interview.' I freezed, I said 'You mean right now?' I asked her three times. 'Right now, you sure?' And then she goes, 'Yes, so you just have to just go up straight, and there's officer standing there, and he's gonna take your interview.' At this point, I wasn't even prepared. 

Evan Franulovich  12:17  
Right, because you thought you were gonna go another time. 

Anushka Pathak  12:19  
I thought I had a day. So I went in, and then the officer just asked me basic questions. I think, five questions. 

Evan Franulovich  12:25  
Okay, lets hear them. 

Anushka Pathak  12:25  
He started by asking my name, and then he started by asking, what's my major? 

Evan Franulovich  12:31  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  12:32  
If I studied Culinary Arts before. And then he also asked me if this has always been my passion. And what's my plan after. That's what he asked me, and I got approved. 

Evan Franulovich  12:45  
That's great. How long did it take? The whole thing?

Anushka Pathak  12:48  
The whole thing, two minutes. 

Evan Franulovich  12:49  
Oh my god. 

Anushka Pathak  12:51  
The interview was really fast. 

Evan Franulovich  12:52  
That's really amazing. 

Anushka Pathak  12:53  
And I feel like I was stressing out for no reason. 

Evan Franulovich  12:56  
Right. 

Anushka Pathak  12:56  
If I knew it was that easy, I wouldn't even stress out that much. But no, it wasn't stressful, and I had all my documents with me, so he didn't ask for a lot of documents. I think he just asked for my I-20, my passport. But, yeah, that's it. 

Evan Franulovich  13:09  
But be prepared, because they might ask you for it. 

Anushka Pathak  13:12  
They might, sometimes you never know. But I feel like confidence also, you just have to be confident in there. 

Evan Franulovich  13:17  
Sure. 

Anushka Pathak  13:17  
Just say the truth, it's easier. 

Evan Franulovich  13:19  
Absolutely. 

Anushka Pathak  13:21  
That's what I said. When he asked me, 'Has this always been your passion?' And I screwed up my first answer was like, 'Yes.' 

Evan Franulovich  13:28  
Great. 

Anushka Pathak  13:28  
Ever since I was seven, yes. That was the truth. 

Evan Franulovich  13:33  
So did he ask why Seattle? 

Anushka Pathak  13:36  
Uh, no. 

Evan Franulovich  13:38  
Interesting. 

Anushka Pathak  13:38  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  13:38  
Sometimes they do. 

Anushka Pathak  13:39  
Sometimes they do. Yes, they do. 

Evan Franulovich  13:42  
So did you apply to more than one culinary school? 

Anushka Pathak  13:45  
No, I applied here. 

Evan Franulovich  13:46  
Just this one? 

Anushka Pathak  13:47  
Yeah, and I waited, because I really wanted this college. So I said to myself, I'm just gonna wait and see what happens. I had plans on applying to other schools as well. If not this, then I had backup. 

Evan Franulovich  14:04  
Okay, gotcha. 

Anushka Pathak  14:05  
But I did get into this. 

Evan Franulovich  14:07  
Now, when you applied, you actually get the choice for culinary. You could have gone to South Seattle College. You chose to come to Central. 

Anushka Pathak  14:15  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  14:15  
Did you consider South? And if so, why did you end up choosing Central? 

Anushka Pathak  14:19  
So the South Seattle College has Hospitality Management. So again, that's a bit different than Culinary Arts. So in terms of different, what I mean is Culinary Arts is mostly when you cook in the kitchen, when you learn the techniques in the kitchen, when you learn the flavors inside the kitchen, that's culinary arts. And hospitality, again, is in terms of like, they have a bit of maths, and it's kind of that. So again, my interest was in the kitchen. I really wanted to get specialized trained inside the kitchen. That's why I decided for this program. And they don't have this in South Seattle, they have Hospitality Management.

Evan Franulovich  15:00  
 I'm gonna correct her a little bit, because we do have a kitchen out there. 

Anushka Pathak  15:04  
Yeah, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  15:05  
You do have culinary it's just the name of the degrees is different? 

Anushka Pathak  15:09  
Yes. They do cook in the kitchen at South Seattle. But here, you just work in the restaurant. 

Evan Franulovich  15:18  
And in season one of my podcasts, you can actually find an interview I did with the director of the culinary program at South. So you can get a different perspective. I love the student perspective, because you are on the ground doing the work. That's really cool. Check it out, you get a full story. You can make a decision for yourself what you want to do. You chose Central, which is cool. I also understand there's a little bit of a difference. Like you guys have a baking focus here, or is it baking there? 

Anushka Pathak  15:49  
We have a baking program here as well. So we have a baking we have a pastry degree as well. 

Evan Franulovich  15:53  
Gotcha. Cool. Which do you prefer? Do you prefer baking, or do you prefer food prep?

Anushka Pathak  16:01  
I prefer culinary. I like working in a kitchen. It's just suits me really best. 

Evan Franulovich  16:07  
Yeah, awesome. All right. Well, so you get your visa very quickly. 

Anushka Pathak  16:12  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  16:12  
And then how much time between the time you got the visa and you getting on an airplane? 

Anushka Pathak  16:16  
I got my visa in May. And then I had to fly, I came here September. 

Evan Franulovich  16:21  
Oh, you started Fall. 

Anushka Pathak  16:22  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  16:23  
Gotcha. That makes sense. 

Anushka Pathak  16:25  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  16:25  
So did you have a lot of prep work to do before you got on a plane?

Anushka Pathak  16:32  
Yeah. In terms of shopping and packing. 

Evan Franulovich  16:34  
Of course. 

Anushka Pathak  16:34  
I got a lot of winter clothes. 

Evan Franulovich  16:37  
Oh, sure. The weather is a little different here than out there. 

Anushka Pathak  16:41  
I've read about it online. I've heard at that time it rains a lot. So I brought a lot of raincoats and that kind of stuff.

Evan Franulovich  16:50  
And how have you found the weather since you've been here? 

Anushka Pathak  16:53  
It's crazy. I just want to say it. 

Evan Franulovich  16:54  
How is it crazy? 

Anushka Pathak  16:58  
I'm just gonna say this, it's bipolar. 

Evan Franulovich  17:00  
It's bipolar, okay. 

Anushka Pathak  17:04  
Okay, the summers are really pretty. 

Evan Franulovich  17:06  
Summers are great. 

Anushka Pathak  17:06  
Seattle is so pretty. It's so green, pretty, clean, like the mountains and that kind of stuff. It's a good view. The nature is nice, but it rains a lot here. It rains a lot. It rains whenever it wants to rain. Like yesterday, it was sunny in the morning, and then we got a storm alert. 

Evan Franulovich  17:30  
Did you guys have lightning in town? 

Anushka Pathak  17:32  
Yeah, my apartment did, but it was definitely raining a lot. 

Evan Franulovich  17:37  
Yeah, last night was a little unusual. We don't get lightning storms very often. 

Anushka Pathak  17:41  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:43  
We got rocked last night, which is kind of cool. It was fun. I thought it was great. My dog was a little freaked out. I'm a Northwestern, I grew up in the northwest part of the United States. I don't think Seattle rains all that much. You're from India. You say it rains a lot. 

Anushka Pathak  18:00  
Well, it does for me. If I feel like, if I was from Mumbai, I think Mumbai people will kind of like agree, if they come here. It rains a lot in Mumbai. Pune, it doesn't rain that much. We do have rain, but it's not as crazy as it is. Our summers are super hot, and it doesn't rain for a day. I kind of like hot summers. I'm used to that. I grew there, so I'm used to that. 

Evan Franulovich  18:22  
Yeah, yeah. Well, that's cool. Check it out. And you know, you want to have a different experiences as a student anyway. And you can get a jacket, it's not that big of a deal. It hardly ever snows in the city. 

Anushka Pathak  18:34  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  18:34  
Although we did get a little snow. 

Anushka Pathak  18:36  
We did. 

Evan Franulovich  18:36  
Yeah, not too much. 

Anushka Pathak  18:38  
Yeah, it does snow. I'm glad I got my winter clothes. 

Evan Franulovich  18:41  
Yes.

Anushka Pathak  18:42  
I didn't know it snows here. Yeah, I really didn't. I asked people and they had different opinions. So sometimes a lot of people said, 'Sometimes it snows.' Someone said it doesn't snow at all. So just to be on the safer side, I feel like, if you're coming here, just carry your winter clothes with you. It does get cold. 

Evan Franulovich  19:00  
You can just visit REI while you're here. REI started in Seattle, it's an outdoor clothing company, they've got great stuff. So you got here, and then you said it was five quarters long program?

Anushka Pathak  19:12  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  19:13  
Did you take a vacation quarter at any point? 

Anushka Pathak  19:16  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  19:16  
Oh, you did?

Anushka Pathak  19:17  
Yeah. So I did three quarters here and then... We don't have summer quarter for our program. 

Evan Franulovich  19:23  
Oh, it doesn't. They don't meet at all. 

Anushka Pathak  19:25  
So we have, we have fall, winter and spring. So I did that when I came here, and then I went back to India, and then I came back again in September to do my fourth and fifth quarter. 

Evan Franulovich  19:35  
Nice. So did you have the choice of starting in fall or in a different...? Could you have started in spring? 

Anushka Pathak  19:43  
I started in fall. 

Evan Franulovich  19:45  
But could you have started in spring? 

Anushka Pathak  19:49  
I think so. I prefer the fall one. 

Evan Franulovich  19:51  
Yeah, yeah. 

Anushka Pathak  19:52  
Because I feel like it's easier for us international students especially, so you come here in fall, the weather is pretty good. And then you kind of settle in. If you come here in like winter, it's too cold, it's gonna snow and rain. And then as soon as you come here, you're away from your family and the weather is depressing, and sometimes I feel like that may get to you. So coming here in Fall is pretty wise. The weather is good. You're kind of like going out socializing. So for international students, I think that's why they prefer fall. That's why I did.

Evan Franulovich  20:26  
Sure. But if you're in culinary you're gonna be in the kitchen all the time anyway. 

Anushka Pathak  20:29  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:32  
And you were saying, how early your program starts? Well, let's just start with the first quarter of the program, because people might want to know where do you start? I mean, do they say 'This is a knife?' I mean, do they take it that basic? 

Anushka Pathak  20:48  
Okay, so when it was my first quarter. Our classes started around nine, I'm pretty sure. 

Evan Franulovich  20:56  
Oh, okay. 

Anushka Pathak  20:58  
And then, yeah, our chef did introduce us to like knives, because there are a lot of knives.You do start with the basics. And I feel like that's important, because when you go later in the program, the chefs won't explain to you. You have to be attentive. Yeah, because I feel like that's what they should do. 

Evan Franulovich  21:18  
Right. 

Anushka Pathak  21:18  
If you're learning in your first quarter, you should be attentive, and you should know, everything, the basics at least. And then in first quarter, what we do is, we cut fruits, we make salads, we make soups. And then that's what we did when I was in first quarter. So we do that for student lunch. We have a student lunch room where all the students eat their food. 

Evan Franulovich  21:41  
Cool. 

Anushka Pathak  21:41  
So we make salads, and we keep it there, so everyone can enjoy it. So we make vinaigrettes, we make mayonnaise and basic sauces. 

Evan Franulovich  21:50  
And do you kind of work for the older students, like the students that started before you? 

Anushka Pathak  21:55  
Yes, kind of. You're kind of like making salads and like cutting fruits for them, and then you make a pretty fruit platter. And you also have other classes too.

Evan Franulovich  22:07  
Are the upperclassmen mean to you? Do they throw knives at you?

Anushka Pathak  22:10  
No.

Evan Franulovich  22:11  
Everybody's pretty tight. Yeah, it seems like a really great group. Whenever I go up there,  it's easy to tell who the culinary students are. 

Anushka Pathak  22:18  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:19  
Because you have to wear a uniform, right? How do you get that stuff? 

Anushka Pathak  22:24  
So you go there, and then they have a person who stitches the uniform for you. 

Evan Franulovich  22:31  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  22:31  
So it has your name on it, which is really cute. 

Evan Franulovich  22:34  
That's cute.

Anushka Pathak  22:34  
 I had mine named as Anu. And then you get a apron, you get your pants, you get a chef coat and a chef hat. And then, yeah, you wear that. 

Evan Franulovich  22:44  
And is that all part of your tuition and fees, or is that extra? 

Anushka Pathak  22:48  
That's separate. 

Evan Franulovich  22:49  
Oh, it is separate. What other extra costs did you run into? Do they make you buy your own knives? 

Anushka Pathak  22:56  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  22:57  
Oh, they do. 

Anushka Pathak  22:57  
Yeah, you have to bring a knife. You have to bring your own knives. They do give you names of suppliers, so you buy a whole knife kit. 

Evan Franulovich  23:04  
Oh, cool. 

Anushka Pathak  23:05  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  23:06  
Do you do it right away? Or do you kind of experiment with their stuff first and find what you like? 

Anushka Pathak  23:10  
They advise you to get it right away. It's always good as a chef to have your own knife. 

Evan Franulovich  23:14  
Right, right. 

Anushka Pathak  23:14  
So you don't kind of rely on others. And then I feel like everyone has a preference on what knife they use. 

Evan Franulovich  23:21  
Right. 

Anushka Pathak  23:22  
So it's good to know that preference in first quarter, because as you will progress, it's good to have your favorite knife with you. It just makes your work easier. 

Evan Franulovich  23:32  
Well, since you had done culinary school as a high school student, did you have knives already that you brought with you? 

Anushka Pathak  23:39  
I did not know. 

Evan Franulovich  23:39  
Oh, you didn't?

Anushka Pathak  23:40  
 I did not. I came here, and then that's when I got them. And it took a while for me to get used to it, the techniques and like the knife in general. So I remember, I was in first quarter, our chef was just like, explaining to us, 'Hey, this is a paring knife. This is a serrated knife.' So they kind of walk you through everything, which is good. 

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  24:03  
So your your high school work that you did in India that was taught in English, I'm assuming? 

Anushka Pathak  24:08  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  24:08  
Okay, so a lot of the terminology is the same process. 

Anushka Pathak  24:13  
Pretty much, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:14  
So you didn't have to relearn everything. 

Anushka Pathak  24:15  
No, no, it's not that bad. It's pretty much the same, if you have done this in India as well, it's gonna be a lot easier for you to just come here. It's a quick pickup. If you knew culinary English terms, it's easier. 

Evan Franulovich  24:30  
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, absolutely. 

Anushka Pathak  24:32  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:33  
Well, cool. So that was your kind of your first quarter. 

Anushka Pathak  24:35  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  24:36  
When do they have you start getting into more main dish kind of stuff. 

Anushka Pathak  24:42  
Second quarter. So second quarter you go all in, and then you basically, you cook on the line, and then you make food for basically everyone. Technically, you have 12 servings of each station. So you have different stations. You have the veg on entree, you have grill station. So then chef will give you a recipe, and then you make that times 12, and then you put food on the line, and then you cook on the line. So all the students first quarter, third quarter, fourth and fifth, they eat off your line. Sometimes even the instructors. So that's when you really get the practice. I feel like that quarter for me, it was really good in a way, I learned a lot. 

Evan Franulovich  25:28  
Was it stressful or was it fun? 

Anushka Pathak  25:30  
Yes, I would say it was stressful because it's so different than first quarter, because first quarter your chill, you're working on a salad, your fruits. But as soon as you go there, you're working on-line. And I feel like a lot of people, they don't know how to work on-line, because working on-line is a lot stressful than working in the kitchen. It's just different. 

Evan Franulovich  25:54  
And I'm guessing the foods that you were preparing are nothing like what you were doing back home.  These are different kinds of foods. 

Anushka Pathak  26:00  
Kind of yeah. Obviously it wasn't all Indian. 

Evan Franulovich  26:04  
Yeah, right. 

Anushka Pathak  26:04  
It was different recipes. 

Evan Franulovich  26:07  
But did you do units on different cultures foods? 

Anushka Pathak  26:12  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  26:13  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  26:13  
We do have that too here. Here, and even back home. Like I said earlier, we had a lot of Marathi cuisine, but we would also touch base on like other cuisines like Italian, or sometimes Mediterranean.

Evan Franulovich  26:33  
Chinese, maybe. 

Anushka Pathak  26:34  
Yeah, but it was more based on Marathi cuisine. 

Evan Franulovich  26:36  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  26:37  
But just like here and there, a little bit we used to do other cuisines. 

Evan Franulovich  26:40  
Is Marathi cuisine spicy?

Anushka Pathak  26:42  
It can be. 

Evan Franulovich  26:43  
It can be okay.

Anushka Pathak  26:44  
 It can be non spicy too. 

Evan Franulovich  26:45  
What do you prefer?

Anushka Pathak  26:47  
 I like spicy. 

Evan Franulovich  26:48  
Me too. 

Anushka Pathak  26:48  
I love spice. 

Evan Franulovich  26:50  
Yeah, throw it in. 

Anushka Pathak  26:52  
One of my chef instructor used to call me and my friend 'Spice Queens.'

Evan Franulovich  26:57  
Yeah. So when you went home for vacation, did you bring a bunch of spices back? 

Anushka Pathak  27:04  
I did not. 

Evan Franulovich  27:05  
You didn't? 

Anushka Pathak  27:06  
I didn't, because you get everything here. 

Evan Franulovich  27:07  
You can? 

Anushka Pathak  27:08  
Yeah, you can. 

Evan Franulovich  27:09  
Really though? 

Anushka Pathak  27:10  
I mean, come on, there's a lot of Indian stores here. 

Evan Franulovich  27:14  
There are. But is it the legit? 

Anushka Pathak  27:17  
It's not. I've made my peace with it. 

Evan Franulovich  27:22  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  27:24  
I didn't bring any spices. I was more into bringing a lot of clothes, more winter clothes. 

Evan Franulovich  27:31  
Sure. 

Anushka Pathak  27:31  
Clothes are kind of expensive in Seattle. 

Evan Franulovich  27:33  
They are expensive in the United States.

Anushka Pathak  27:35  
A lot of tax. If you're going back to India, just bring clothes, a lot of them. 

Evan Franulovich  27:38  
There you go. 

Anushka Pathak  27:39  
That's my advice.

Evan Franulovich  27:41  
So as you progress, you get to your fifth and final quarter. 

Anushka Pathak  27:45  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  27:46  
Do you have a capstone project, or something that is the culmination of all this stuff you've been learning? 

Anushka Pathak  27:53  
Yes. So in fifth quarter, you have a lot of projects, it's not just one. But the project that I think you're referring to, is Chef of the Day. Yes, so I did my chef of the day. I did like an Indian theme Chef of the Day project. So you choose a theme, you you can invite your family. It has to be for 12 people, but four of them are instructors. So you can call eight of your family members, or your friends. Yeah, I had my sister, my brother in law, and my mom, and the rest were my friends. 

Evan Franulovich  28:31  
That's so cool.

Anushka Pathak  28:31  
Yeah, you basically choose your own menu. It has to be a four course meal. And then there are certain restrictions that they have, like you have to use one land protein, one sea protein, you have to use a classic stock. It can be chicken or fish or like veg. And then I think the other restrictions, you have to show techniques in your dessert. So for my dessert, I did a chai spiced ice cream, and it was really good. And then I made that into a Falooda, it's like a layered Indian dessert. So we put, like chia seeds and like other stuff. and Falooda has ice cream in it. So I just made my own ice cream and I layered it up with it. 

Evan Franulovich  29:15  
Okay, but let's talk about the other three things that you did. 

Anushka Pathak  29:18  
So the other three things is... 

Evan Franulovich  29:19  
Or what did you open with? 

Anushka Pathak  29:21  
So I started with Batata Vada. I'm sure my Indian friends know this. It's a very Marathi-Mumbai dish. It's like a fried potato fritter. 

Evan Franulovich  29:33  
Cool. 

Anushka Pathak  29:34  
It's why you get street style, and we call it Vada Pav. So we eat it with bread. I didn't make the bread. I just made the the fritter itself. 

Evan Franulovich  29:43  
Gotcha. 

Anushka Pathak  29:44  
I made that with Chutney and some pomegranate, just for that tanginess. And then I did Kolambi, it's shrimp. So I did like shrimp with saffron. You have to show some technique with your sauce as well. So that's why I did that. 

Evan Franulovich  29:59  
Okay.

Anushka Pathak  30:00  
A French sauce. And then I did a chicken roulade. I did a tandoori chicken roulade with makhani sauce, and I did a bhaji with it. So bhaji is what we get on like Mumbai Street. It's also like a fritter, but it's like made with onions. So I made it with onions and spinach, and just put that around the plate. 

Evan Franulovich  30:20  
Sounds really good. 

Anushka Pathak  30:21  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  30:21  
How do get through that program with without gaining like 20,000 kilos? It's just gotta be tough, right? 

Anushka Pathak  30:27  
Yeah, you just have to try. 

Evan Franulovich  30:30  
So you mentioned friends coming to your Chef of the Day. Do you have a lot of domestic student friends as well? 

Anushka Pathak  30:37  
Yeah, I do. 

Evan Franulovich  30:38  
Okay, yeah. 

Anushka Pathak  30:38  
They were mostly from this program who are graduates, and that's why I invited them for my thing. 

Evan Franulovich  30:44  
Have you met students outside the program? 

Anushka Pathak  30:46  
I have, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:47  
Okay. How do you do that?

Anushka Pathak  30:49  
I feel like there's a lot of like options in the college where you like, meet people. There's a lot of like communities that you can join. I lived in the dorms, and that helped me a lot. My roommates were from different programs, and then the RA is the resident is the assistant. 

Evan Franulovich  31:09  
Your program is five quarters long. You spent all five quarters in the housing? 

Anushka Pathak  31:13  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  31:14  
Okay. And you're getting ready now. One of the podcasts we did recently was just about OPT, and that's how we actually met. She came in to get information about OPT. You want to explain where you're going and what you're doing for OPT?

Anushka Pathak  31:29  
So I got my OPT approved, and I'm gonna be starting work from first April. So I'm gonna be working at Zaika. It's at Pike Street. Shout out to Zaika. Do come there. It's a really good restaurant. We have good food there. 

Evan Franulovich  31:44  
Is it just Indian food? 

Anushka Pathak  31:45  
It's like a modern Indian food. 

Evan Franulovich  31:47  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  31:47  
So we do a lot of variations, so it's a good restaurant.

Evan Franulovich  31:51  
On a price scale where is it?

Anushka Pathak  31:53  
I would say medium. 

Evan Franulovich  31:54  
Medium, okay.

Anushka Pathak  31:55  
It's not that expensive.

Evan Franulovich  31:56  
Yeah, great.

Anushka Pathak  31:58  
So I got my OPT and I'm really excited for it. 

Evan Franulovich  32:01  
There you are. It's really cool. Can you get paid during OPT?

Anushka Pathak  32:04  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  32:05  
Awesome. And do you know how many hours you'll work a week? Do they work full time?

Anushka Pathak  32:10  
I'm only working full time you have to for OPT. 

Evan Franulovich  32:13  
Oh, you're required. 

Anushka Pathak  32:14  
Yes, you have to work full time for OPT.

Evan Franulovich  32:20  
Well, the reason I asked about your housing being five quarters is, normally you do maybe one academic year in housing, and then most students will go find an apartment or something like that, but you got to stay the entire time. 

Anushka Pathak  32:34  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  32:34  
Did you have to get special permission to do that? 

Anushka Pathak  32:37  
No. So the reason why I decided to stay here was because it was so close, you cross the street and your college is right there. Some of my quarters, the classes started at either 8AM or 7:30am. It was really helpful for me living at the dorms. 

Evan Franulovich  32:53  
Yeah. 

Anushka Pathak  32:54  
If my class starts at 7:30am, worst case, I wake up at seven. I can still make it.

Evan Franulovich  32:59  
7am in the morning.

Anushka Pathak  33:02  
I personally not a fan of public transport. I don't like taking it that early in the morning. So just thinking about these things, that's why I decided to stay in the dorms.

Evan Franulovich  33:15  
If you do need to take public transportation, Seattle is one of the great cities in the US for public transportation. 

Anushka Pathak  33:21  
Yeah, and I feel like the college helps you get the the ORCA card as well. So yeah, the college helps you with, like, public transport stuff as well. Yeah, it's really just with me. I'm not a fan of traveling too much, that's just my preference. 

Evan Franulovich  33:33  
Right. Now, before we started rolling, I asked her about housing, and she had some good constructive criticism about, so I want to be transparent with you international students, because you really have three choices for housing. So her feedback may help you make a decision. Most of the students I talked to about housing have really positive things to say, but it was nice to hear your feedback. We also do home stays, where you can stay with an American family, and you can get an apartment, either by yourself or with friends. 

Anushka Pathak  34:04  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  34:04  
But you chose housing. So let's hear your feedback about housing.

Anushka Pathak  34:09  
So I feel like it was a pretty good dorm. You have laundry in the building, but it's not in your apartment. But you get a dishwasher in your apartment, which is good for like international students, you don't have to wash your own dishes. But in terms of living, it's a pretty small room. There's not really any privacy. It's just one big room and three beds. So you can choose either two person dorm or three person. I was in a three person dorm, because I've seen the two person room, and it's way smaller. It's just too congested. So you don't get any privacy in there, because the beds are facing your roommate directly. So if I'm here and my roommate is here, then we are facing each other.

Evan Franulovich  34:50  
So you better hope you like your roommate. 

Anushka Pathak  34:51  
Yeah, because I've had that trouble. I had to change my room. 

Evan Franulovich  34:59  
But it was possible to change rooms? 

Anushka Pathak  35:00  
Yes, it is possible. So even if you don't get along, you can talk to the housing representative, and you can just tell them what's up, and then they can help you with that.

Evan Franulovich  35:08  
Right.

Anushka Pathak  35:09  
But yeah, if you don't get along, then it kind of sucks. 

Evan Franulovich  35:13  
It can be tough. 

Anushka Pathak  35:13  
Yeah, it can be tough. Yeah, that was kind of a tough time for me. 

Evan Franulovich  35:17  
Sure. 

Anushka Pathak  35:17  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  35:18  
So when you go into housing, they have you fill out an application, do you get to put down preferences, or what kind of hobbies you have, so they can maybe match you with someone?

Anushka Pathak  35:27  
Yeah, you do. Actually, you just put your preferences, and even like you're drinking, smoking preference, if you're okay with that too. So they start from the basic, which is good. Yeah, I requested for someone who is from the same program as me, but they couldn't find anyone. But like, my other roommate was really good. I'm still friends with her.

Evan Franulovich  35:51  
For sure. No, that's really great. But now that you're gonna be doing OPT, you're gonna be moving out. 

Anushka Pathak  35:56  
Yes, I am. 

Evan Franulovich  35:56  
So what's your housing situation gonna be?

Anushka Pathak  36:00  
So I got a new apartment. 

Evan Franulovich  36:01  
Oh, cool. 

Anushka Pathak  36:02  
Yeah, it's near the place that I'm gonna be working.

Evan Franulovich  36:05  
Great, part of town. 

Anushka Pathak  36:06  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  36:06  
Love it down there. 

Anushka Pathak  36:08  
It's pretty easy to get apartment too. I would have got an apartment, if my program didn't start this early, and I would have left the dorm back in time. It's pretty easy to get an apartment. Even in Seattle for international students, they just ask your income proof, visa proof, your passport, and that's pretty much it. You just go see the place. Pretty straightforward application.

Evan Franulovich  36:32  
Yeah, I mean, it's a big American city, so expect to have somewhat expensive rent. But if you're creative and you look around, you can find things that are pretty affordable, even in nice parts of town. I know a lot of students that live down at the U district near the University of Washington, because there's so much great housing.

Anushka Pathak  36:50  
A lot of people from my program also live at the U district. 

Evan Franulovich  36:53  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  36:53  
It's known for good housing.

Evan Franulovich  36:56  
You can get a room, or you can get a studio or whatever. So that's really cool. 

Anushka Pathak  37:00  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  37:02  
So you have some friends. What do you guys do for fun? 

Anushka Pathak  37:08  
I love hiking, and I feel like Seattle and Portland is a good place for like hiking. I love just going around walks, when it's like a nice day. I love walking, I love going to like different coffee shops, maybe cat cafe. There's a really cute cat cafe known as Nicole Cat Cafe. I go there a lot. 

Evan Franulovich  37:26  
Yeah. 

Anushka Pathak  37:27  
Shout out to them. And they have cute cats that you can play with while you're having your beverages and food. 

Evan Franulovich  37:34  
I've heard of this before. When I used to live in China, and there you had cat cafes.

Anushka Pathak  37:42  
There's a lot of parks around here. Cal Anderson is right there. 

Evan Franulovich  37:45  
Cal Anderson is great. 

Anushka Pathak  37:46  
Just like, across the street. It's good for walking, running, spending some time. I love to go and eat out a lot. I love to just go out and kind of critique food in my own sense. I love doing that. So that's what I do for fun. 

Evan Franulovich  38:02  
Okay, so you've probably tried most of the Indian restaurants. 

Anushka Pathak  38:06  
Oh, I have. 

Evan Franulovich  38:06  
And which is your favorite, other than the place where you do an OPT?

Anushka Pathak  38:12  
There's this restaurant Spice King. 

Evan Franulovich  38:14  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  38:15  
I love the butter chicken. It's so good. The quantity that they give is really good. I remember I used to order that when I was back in school. And that used to be good for two days for me. 

Evan Franulovich  38:32  
Cool. Is it near the campus?

Anushka Pathak  38:36  
I think it's like a 20 minute walk. 

Evan Franulovich  38:37  
Oh, okay. That's not too bad. Check that out. 

Anushka Pathak  38:42  
Yeah, it's good butter chicken. 

Evan Franulovich  38:44  
Well, it's always funny, when I talk to students, and I asked them about their home country's cuisine, and have they found anything locally that matches what they can get back home? It's tough. 

Anushka Pathak  38:55  
Yes. No, there's not a lot of Marathi food in here. And I feel like I was thinking about this the other day, that's what I want to do here, I want to bring Marathi food to Seattle, either through working in a restaurant, or maybe my own restaurant. Someday, I want to bring good Marathi food to Seattle, and that's my goal. 

Evan Franulovich  39:20  
Right, right. 

Anushka Pathak  39:22  
There's really not a lot of regional cuisines. They are under represented for sure. We have Indian cuisines in Seattle, but it's more like all over the place. 

Evan Franulovich  39:33  
Gotcha. 

Anushka Pathak  39:33  
It's some from the south, some from the north, but there's not a specific regional cuisine restaurant, which sucks, because I love Marathi food. Classic is like my Marathi friends would know this. It's Puran Poli, Ari Katachi Amti. That's something in my language where I love that. Okay, so that's something I want to bring it to Seattle.

Evan Franulovich  39:58  
Well, I'm a little surprised that it's not represented, because we have such a huge Indian population. If you go to Microsoft's campus, which is right across the water. There is lots of Indian employees out there. So I'm surprised that they don't have something specific.

Anushka Pathak  40:16  
I was surprised too, which kind of sucks, because our food is so good, Marathi cuisine is really good. It's so comforting, it's warm. It's something that I eat every day. I cook for myself a lot. Yeah, it can be as basic as Varan Bhat, which I'm sure they'll know. It's like a different kind of dal that we make, it's pretty basic. I want to bring it to Seattle.

Evan Franulovich  40:44  
Cool. Well, good luck with that. 

Anushka Pathak  40:45  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  40:46  
Before you get out to that part, you have your OPT. 

Anushka Pathak  40:49  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  40:50  
After OPT, what's your plan? You're kind of thinking about sticking around to study? 

Anushka Pathak  40:56  
Maybe, I don't know yet. I'm thinking of going to South Seattle College. Maybe doing the Hospitality Management program that we talked about earlier. 

Evan Franulovich  41:04  
They have bachelor degree out there. 

Anushka Pathak  41:05  
Yes, because now that I did my associate in culinary arts, I think that program is a good deal for me. Now that I learned about culinary, I can learn more about like math and like techniques and that. 

Evan Franulovich  41:18  
For sure. Yeah, we also have a wine program out there at South so check out our website. You can see all the different kinds of options we have between Central and South. There's a lot of good options. Your hear that? It's Trivia Time! So this is the part of the show where we ask you five questions. If you get them all right, you get to be on our wall of fame. 

Anushka Pathak  41:41  
Perfect. 

Evan Franulovich  41:41  
And if you don't, you'll just cry yourself. 

Anushka Pathak  41:44  
Well, I'm excited either way. 

Evan Franulovich  41:45  
Yeah, it'll be great. Okay, all right. Question number one: Name a fish that is native to the Puget Sound that you can cook. 

Anushka Pathak  41:59  
Oh, my God, Is it cod?

Evan Franulovich  42:02  
We have cod. 

Anushka Pathak  42:04  
I love cod. 

Evan Franulovich  42:05  
We have cod. We have halibut, we have salmon, we have a lot of different fish. 

Anushka Pathak  42:09  
Okay, I'm gonna say cod. 

Evan Franulovich  42:10  
We're gonna go with that. 

Anushka Pathak  42:11  
Let's just go with cod. 

Evan Franulovich  42:13  
Okay, very good. Question number two: If you're going to go home like you did for a vacation, what do you need to do before you leave? 

Anushka Pathak  42:23  
Just get your I-20 signed. That's important. If you don't, then you don't get to come back here. They do check that at the airport. So on your I-20, I think at the second page, they have a area where you need to give it to the international office, and then they sign it for you. That's all you need. You need a travel signature. If you get that, you're good. 

Evan Franulovich  42:45  
So I'm American, obviously. So when I come back from being overseas, you know, I just breeze right through. But I'm guessing you don't have that option. You have to stop. Are they nice? 

Anushka Pathak  42:56  
I think they're very nice. 

Evan Franulovich  42:58  
Oh, good. 

Anushka Pathak  43:02  
I've never had a bad experience. Personally, when I was questioned at the airports the second time I came, they just asked me what I studied. They just looked at my I-20, and asked me basic questions. 

Evan Franulovich  43:16  
Oh, cool. 

Anushka Pathak  43:17  
It was basic like the visa interview. 

Evan Franulovich  43:19  
I would hope. 

Anushka Pathak  43:20  
Yeah, and then I just got in, it's pretty easy. 

Evan Franulovich  43:23  
All right, good. So don't worry too much guys. 

Anushka Pathak  43:24  
Yeah, sometimes they ask for your documents, so just be prepared. You never know. 

Evan Franulovich  43:31  
You never know. 

Anushka Pathak  43:32  
Sometimes they may ask for your documents, and if you don't have it, then I feel like at that point you're screwed. 

Evan Franulovich  43:39  
You are gone on another plane right away. 

Anushka Pathak  43:41  
Yeah, give your documents and you're good. 

Evan Franulovich  43:45  
Okay. Cool. Question number three: Between the State of Washington, and the state of California there is another state. What is that state? 

Anushka Pathak  43:57  
Hey, I'm not very good with this. 

Evan Franulovich  44:00  
Your sister lives there. 

Anushka Pathak  44:02  
Oregon.

Evan Franulovich  44:03  
Oregon! Nice job. That was a tough one. Okay, question number four: In the city of Seattle, we have a professional baseball team, unlike cricket. What is the name of our baseball team? 

Anushka Pathak  44:26  
I have no idea, I'm sorry. 

Evan Franulovich  44:31  
Seattle Mariners. 

Anushka Pathak  44:33  
Okay, I had no idea about this. 

Evan Franulovich  37:31  
If you haven't been to a game, you should really go. I mean, even if you don't like sports all that, well, it's an experience. 

Anushka Pathak  44:34  
I like sports, but my program was so intense, I didn't have time. 

Evan Franulovich  44:44  
You were busy? 

Anushka Pathak  37:31  
Yeah, I was really, really busy. That's the one thing I forgot saying, this program is really tiring, but it is worth it. 

Evan Franulovich  44:52  
I get here in the morning for work, I get here pretty early, and when I come in, the only students that are in the hall are the culinaries.

Anushka Pathak  45:02  
I felt like I'm here all the time, except for Mondays. I'm here starting Tuesday, and I feel like that was my life for the past one and a half years. 

Evan Franulovich  45:12  
I mean, that first quarter, I think you can start a little later, but after that, you guys will be here early.

Anushka Pathak  45:17  
You start at nine. 

Evan Franulovich  45:18  
Oh, you do. 

Anushka Pathak  45:19  
Yeah, except for Mondays and Wednesdays. 

Evan Franulovich  45:22  
All right, gotcha. Do you have any courses in the program that aren't cooking related? 

Anushka Pathak  45:29  
Yeah, we have other classes. 

Evan Franulovich  45:30  
Like, what? 

Anushka Pathak  45:31  
We had functions of management this quarter. We had banquet and catering class.We have other classes too, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  45:39  
So it's not just all food classes.

Anushka Pathak  45:40  
No, no. You have Excel. You have that kind of classes. They make sure that you also know other stuff than just cooking. 

Evan Franulovich  45:47  
Right.

Anushka Pathak  45:48  
You have little bit of math, and then in fourth quarter, you have exams on paper. You have a semester exam, and then you also have your finals. You also have your knife skills test. You have a sauce test. There's so many little things. 

Evan Franulovich  46:04  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  46:04  
But it is interesting. If you have a passion for it, then it is interesting. 

Evan Franulovich  46:08  
I'm sure. Yeah, well, I remember going down the halls because sometimes I run inside the building when it's terrible weather. 

Anushka Pathak  46:15  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  46:15  
And I see you guys in your classroom, it's kind of cool. So they're not always in the kitchen.

Anushka Pathak  46:21  
No, we are not. We are in the kitchen starting 9am to 1pm. 

Evan Franulovich  46:24  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  46:24  
So at 1PM we are done cleaning up. So from 9am to 11am, we prep. And then from 11am we are open to public. And then until 1PM we serve to the public. 

Evan Franulovich  46:32  
Right, right, right. 

Anushka Pathak  46:33  
But it's a good practice. And it is just like, if you're working in other restaurants, it is the same thing basically. And that's what they try to give us. It's like, if you were working in other restaurants outside the college, then it's the same experience.

Evan Franulovich  46:41  
Do you guys have health inspectors come in? 

Anushka Pathak  46:50  
Yes, we do. 

Evan Franulovich  46:51  
You do?

Anushka Pathak  46:51  
Yeah, they do. 

Evan Franulovich  46:53  
Why wouldn't you? 

Anushka Pathak  46:53  
Yeah, they do. The health inspector, she comes in and then she checks everything. 

Evan Franulovich  46:58  
Sure.

Anushka Pathak  46:59  
And sometimes she'll come to you and ask you questions. I remember when I was in second quarter, I just cooked pasta, and it was kind of hot, so I put it in the region for it to cool down. She tempted it, and then she said, What time did you cook it exactly? And then I told her, so I didn't violate any of the terms. But yeah, they do ask you questions. 

Evan Franulovich  47:22  
Be ready. 

Anushka Pathak  47:23  
Yeah, be ready. 

Evan Franulovich  47:23  
Which makes another question for me, when you are first here in your first quarter, in the state of Washington, you have to have a food handler's permit. 

Anushka Pathak  47:34  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  47:34  
So do you do that as a class, or is that just one of the very first things you do?

Anushka Pathak  47:39  
That is the first thing you do. There's a class, but I can't remember the name of the class right now. But in first quarter, you have to take an exam. 

Evan Franulovich  47:49  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  47:49  
You study for that and then you go in and you take it, and then that's when you get your certification and your food handlers permit.

Evan Franulovich  47:56  
Is there a fee associated with the test for that? 

Anushka Pathak  47:59  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  47:59  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  47:59  
So you buy a book online from the government website for serve safe, and then in the book there's a code. 

Evan Franulovich  48:05  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  48:05  
You put the code in for the exam, and that's when they send you your certificate for the exam, if you pass it. 

Evan Franulovich  48:11  
Gotcha. Yeah, it's not a super difficult test. 

Anushka Pathak  48:14  
It's not. 

Evan Franulovich  48:14  
But you do need to study.

Anushka Pathak  48:16  
And you do need it if you wanna go to the next quarter and cook here... 

Evan Franulovich  48:20  
Absolutely. 

Anushka Pathak  48:21  
...you need a permit for that.

Evan Franulovich  48:23  
I did a cooking course for students in Alaska, and we had a French chef come out and do it, and so we all went through the food handlers test. 

Anushka Pathak  48:34  
Oh, really?

Evan Franulovich  48:35  
It was really great, actually. So I still have my food handlers card from Alaska. 

Anushka Pathak  48:38  
Oh, nice. 

Evan Franulovich  48:40  
That was really cool. So last question... yeah, I don't know how much time you have for fun. It sounds like you're pretty busy, but what was the last movie you saw in the theater?

Anushka Pathak  48:53  
Oh, in Seattle I didn't really go to a theater. But my sister and my brother in law. We watched an Indian movie in Paris. But that was in Portland.

Evan Franulovich  49:10  
I know some of the theaters here in Seattle locally play Indian movies occasionally. 

Anushka Pathak  49:16  
I think our Broadway theater that they have, is it the Erickson theater? 

Evan Franulovich  49:21  
Yeah, right here. 

Anushka Pathak  49:21  
Yes, they also have plays.

Evan Franulovich  49:25  
So if you start missing home, missing Bollywood, you can catch them here. You can always get them streamed, of course. 

Anushka Pathak  49:31  
Yes, I usually like watching stuff on Netflix, that's just me. I like comfort of my own home. 

Evan Franulovich  49:39  
Right. 

Anushka Pathak  49:40  
My own time. 

Evan Franulovich  49:41  
Lot of students like that. 

Anushka Pathak  49:42  
Yeah, it's just convenient for me. If I'm back from my college, I just want to sit and relax on my own bed, my own Netflix chilling.

Evan Franulovich  49:50  
So which begs the question, you know, most degree plans that we have are a combination of hybrid, in person, online classes. Culinary must be a little bit different. Is it all in person? 

Anushka Pathak  50:04  
Yes, everything's in person, there's nothing online. 

Evan Franulovich  50:08  
That's really cool. 

Anushka Pathak  50:08  
Yeah, because you have to be there in the kitchen to learn really do that online. I know there are other colleges around the world, who have their program online. But also in that, you have to have a kitchen. 

Evan Franulovich  50:21  
Sure. 

Anushka Pathak  50:22  
Where you have to show the chef all your knife cuts and everything. It just makes sense to do it in person. And it is not part time. It is full time. 

Evan Franulovich  50:22  
And part of the joy of going to school overseas, as international students is getting getting in there. 

Anushka Pathak  50:36  
Yeah, I feel like If I wouldn't have taken this online. It's the fun, you go there and you cook.And that's what I'm passionate about. 

Evan Franulovich  50:47  
Yeah, normally, students are required to have at least seven units worth of in person or hybrid classes. So if you come here per se of philosophy degree, don't worry. But with culinary you got to do it all in person. That's really cool. 

Anushka Pathak  51:00  
Yeah, it is. 

Evan Franulovich  51:02  
Nice. All right. Well, good job on the questions. Get to a baseball game before you leave, that's a really fun to do. 

Anushka Pathak  51:08  
I'll try. 

Evan Franulovich  51:09  
Well, you have a day off or two days off? 

Anushka Pathak  51:11  
I have one day off. 

Evan Franulovich  51:12  
Oh, that's not good. 

Anushka Pathak  51:13  
Yeah, but that's in general how restaurants are. You get a day off, even in India that's what I had. 

Evan Franulovich  51:19  
And what are they gonna have you doing do you know? 

Anushka Pathak  51:21  
Yes, I'm on the appetizers first. And then I think he said I'm on garnishing, and then a little bit of plating. And then I think when I get promoted that's it, that's when I'm gonna be on curries. 

Evan Franulovich  51:32  
Wow.

Anushka Pathak  51:33  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  51:34  
Maybe we could come and film you cooking. 

Anushka Pathak  51:37  
Yeah, for sure. Oh, my God. 

Evan Franulovich  51:39  
Maybe we should do that. 

Anushka Pathak  51:40  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  51:40  
Let me set that up. 

Anushka Pathak  51:41  
Yes, for sure, that's gonna be fun. 

Evan Franulovich  51:43  
I wish we had started filming you from the day you started the program. 

Anushka Pathak  51:48  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  51:48  
And then we could have just done the whole thing. So if you're getting ready to come to Seattle Colleges as a culinary student, reach out to me, because I would love to follow your journey. 

Anushka Pathak  51:58  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  51:58  
...through the whole thing. That would be really fun.

Anushka Pathak  52:00  
So my mom and dad are gonna come back here. I can't wait for my dad to try the food. I think he's gonna love it. I can't wait for them to see me cook in an actual, real world restaurant. 

Evan Franulovich  52:14  
Right. 

Anushka Pathak  52:14  
I'm excited for all of them. My sister, my brother in law, my mom, dad, shout out to them.

Evan Franulovich  52:20  
Anyone from anywhere in the world, go to the restaurant.

Anushka Pathak  52:23  
Yeah, come to Zaika. It's good food, and good location to just come and eat, good ambience. 

Evan Franulovich  52:30  
Yeah, for sure. 

Anushka Pathak  52:32  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  52:33  
Check it out! All right, and you know, the last couple things that we do, I always ask our international students to maybe say a few words in their first language. Your first language is...?

Anushka Pathak  52:42  
It's Marathi. (*Anushka advice in Marathi*)

Evan Franulovich  53:12  
There you go. Nice job! Final thing, you've been through the process now, you're graduating. 

Anushka Pathak  53:18  
I am, I'm done. 

Evan Franulovich  53:19  
You are the wise veteran student. You have students that are thinking about coming to Seattle, maybe to study here at Seattle Colleges. 

Anushka Pathak  53:28  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  53:28  
What advice would you give them?

Anushka Pathak  53:32  
As a student in the culinary program?

Evan Franulovich  53:34  
Any student, it could be culinary that would be awesome, or it could be anything. 

Anushka Pathak  53:38  
I feel like my advice would be, if you come here for any program, just be on time, get your documents cleared, even when you come here, just be attentive. If your F-1 status is cleared, there are certain requirements that you need to maintain your F-1 status. You have to be a full time student and that kind of thing. So just be attentive on that. But apart from that, enjoy, it is really pretty here in Seattle. I know the weather isn't the best all the time, but it is a nice place to live, there's so much greenery, the neighborhood is good, people are really nice. And good luck to everyone who's planning on coming here. Join our culinary program as well. It is a good program, and hope to see some of you here. 

Evan Franulovich  54:24  
For sure. Yeah, thanks. All right, that's great advice. Plan, get your timing down. 

Anushka Pathak  54:31  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  54:32  
It's all good stuff to do. 

Anushka Pathak  54:33  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  54:34  
You don't want to miss a boat somewhere. Thanks so much for your time today. 

Anushka Pathak  54:38  
Thank you.

Evan Franulovich  54:38  
I'm so excited to go. I'll have to go and eat at your restaurant. 

Anushka Pathak  54:43  
Yes, for sure. 

Evan Franulovich  54:44  
Try your food. 

Anushka Pathak  54:45  
You have to, for sure.

Evan Franulovich  54:46  
Do you have to make reservations? 

Anushka Pathak  54:47  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  54:47  
You can just walk in?

Anushka Pathak  54:49  
Yeah. Sometimes, if it's like a evening weekend, I'm pretty sure you have to.

Evan Franulovich  54:49  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  54:49  
But you could just walk in as well. 

Evan Franulovich  54:51  
When do they open? 

Anushka Pathak  54:51  
I think around 12. 

Evan Franulovich  54:56  
Okay. 

Anushka Pathak  54:59  
I'm pretty sure it's 12. 

Evan Franulovich  55:04  
All right, well, I'll see you down there.

Anushka Pathak  55:05  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  55:06  
Thank you guys for coming and joining us. We appreciate that. Every Wednesday, we're right here on 'Conversations with!' Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. We want to get the word out there to everybody that want to learn about being an international student, hopefully in Seattle Colleges. It's a great channel to come and get information. Thanks again. 

Anushka Pathak  55:26  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  55:26  
Good luck to you. 

Anushka Pathak  55:28  
Namaste. 

Evan Franulovich  55:28  
Bye guys! Namaste!

'Conversations with!' is painstakingly crafted for you by the Seattle Colleges International Programs department and supported by the lovely folks here on our campus. This show is produced and edited by me, Evan Franulovich. We welcome your emails and questions about coming to Seattle Colleges. Please reach out to us via our website or just give us a rating and a review on Apple podcasts as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube at Seattle Colleges Intl, that's Seattle Colleges Intl. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with!' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.