In my last post, I had mentioned the importance of investing in your future by participating in an international internship program or work abroad.  By living in another country, you really get an inside look into what it is like for those that live there.  From the business culture to the entertainment atmosphere, you really get a sense of a place.  But another way of course is through the local cuisine.  I definitely consider myself a foodie, and whenever I travel – domestically or internationally – I always try out a new dish.

One of my favorite things that I make is my Amarula carrot cakes.  I discovered this recipe when  I was working on the Amarula account at Total Media in South Africa.  One of the strategies that they were doing for Amarula was to position them as not only a cream liquer product, but a way to incorporate a bit of South Africa into the local cuisine.  They had various recipes on their web site using Amarula, and one of them was for a carrot cake recipe.  It is quite different from traditional carrot cake – first, you use Amarula of course, and then you also include pineapple and apricot jam.  I have to say, it is absolutely divine!  This dish is a Freberg family favorite.

So, in preparation for my guest lecture on Monday, I thought that one way for the PR students to get a little taste of South Africa (no pun intended!), I thought that it would be good for them to try out my carrot cake cupcakes.  I had to make a lot of them (50), but I am sure that there will be some left over for my friends at UT. 🙂  Cooking is definitely a fun activity that allows you to not only have tasty meals, but you are learning at the same time about a culture.  By having dishes from these other countries – I am experiencing a bit of what it is to live in South Africa (I think that my friends that are qualitative researchers would appreciate this!) 🙂

Hope you all are having a great day and Happy Easter!

Best Wishes,

Karen