“Baking makes me so happy, carefree and cheerful, especially when I can bake for my friends and family. I can see myself five years, ten years, or even fifty years from now still cooking, still baking cakes, still trying new dishes, and living the dream of traveling the world in the comfort of my kitchen and through different cuisines. It makes me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself,” said Tasmia Afrin ’23.
A sliding door and a big red curtain are what separates the ramen-noodle restaurant, Karakatta, near Washington Square Park, New York City, from the outside world. Pulling the curtain open, a hostess directs us to sit at a small table with a stool and a bench against the wall. Putting our coats on the coat hanger next to us, we sit and she looks over the menu, perhaps out of habit, despite already knowing what she wants to order. Placing the menu down, her hands folded on the table, her eyes glistening with excitement, she smiles at me. “Let’s start.”
Tasmia Afrin ’23 is a current junior at The Bronx High School of Science, where she is a co-president of Exposition Magazine, co-president of the Mental Health Association, secretary for Club STAT, a member of NASHA, and a part of the Nutritional Health Council.
Sitting across from her, anyone can sense her comfort and ease in the restaurant. What I was able to witness was Tasmia in her element — her appreciation of food and sharing that appreciation with others.
“I began cooking and baking in January 2021 during quarantine,” she began. “ As a child, I have always been captivated by cooking and the idea that there are so many dishes and cuisines from around the world. It made me develop a passion for learning about different cultures and wanting to travel to different countries to try new foods and even one day cook those types of foods. I would enthusiastically crank up the volume on my TV where FOX 5 would play MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen and said to myself, ‘I want to cook like that.’ I loved everything about cooking: the thrill, the devotion, the plating, the tasting — and most importantly, the reaction of others.”
Two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, and New York City went into quarantine. For Tasmia, her experience with quarantine gave her ample time to try her hand at the cooking she’d always hoped to do. She went about bettering her habits, working out, and learning about herself.
“For months, I would cook, I would fail, and then I would create exquisite, beautiful and aesthetically pleasing dishes. I would be showered with compliments, and I would post them proudly on social media for the validation of the beauty of my cooking.” (Tasmia Afrin ’23)
One day during quarantine, Tasmia fell ill and was on bed-rest for three days. During that time, she realized that she was cooking and appreciating the process of food, but that she wasn’t even enjoying the process of eating her own food.
“When I cooked for my friends, I remember them saying, ‘Tasmia, you always ask us if your food tastes good, or if we like it, but you’re such a good cook. You should know what your food tastes like.’”
“I am devoting myself to figuring out who I am through cooking; I cook for myself when I am working out to be fueled, but I also cook for my brother when he craves ramen. I cooked for the first time for my friends, teachers and now myself; to be told that my efforts and work is appreciated is something that keeps me going, to bake and put my love into something.”
Because of this, Tasmia has started going out to restaurants and describes the experience as wonderful as she gets to see the cooks and their appreciation for what they can make. She often goes with friends, and grew to cherish the feeling she had when she was with them.
Tasmia recently started running an instagram account with her friend, Gen, starting in last November 2021, where they would post food from different restaurants they went out to.
Here is a dish at the ramen-noodle restaurant, Karakatta, Afrin remarked how “Restaurants give me the ability to travel around the world and eat.” (Tasmia Afrin ’23)
Tasmia’s biggest inspiration when it comes to cooking is unique — a total stranger she met around her sophomore year.
“We talked a lot and he was an amazing person who had horrible things happen to him. Since we are strangers, there was no judgment, and we would just talk to each other about life. We were two different people who both found comfort in each other. I don’t know how he is doing now; we don’t keep in touch. He inspired me, because he always talked about life in the present. Even though he was dealt a bad hand in life, he never let it get to him, and I never met such an optimistic person in my life before. He is just someone special.”
Tasmia sees cooking as a hobby. She just wants to enjoy herself and not monetize it. But she hopes to create a food podcast one day, to really talk about cooking and learning recipes.
“It allowed me to find the little joys in life and to romanticize both the good and bad. Cooking and baking has become the dream that the child in me has yearned for, as I feel like I am learning new things, connecting with new people and cultures, and finally bringing that smile to others’ faces.”
When asked if she considers herself a role model for other students in regards to cooking, she was unsure but feels honored if she is a person who inspires others.
When it comes to recommending restaurants, Tasmia has a whole photo album on her phone of screenshots of places she wants to visit. She values small businesses and recommends going to a place “where you feel you can enjoy your food and enjoy the atmosphere.”
She advises students interested in trying out cooking or baking to just do it. “Go for something super simple; just to get that feeling of doing something for yourself. And then start building it up, so you can really enjoy the process. It may turn out to be a disaster, but it’s all an experience. You wouldn’t know unless you try. Even try it with friends or family. Get out of your head and just do it. Don’t put it off.”
With all her outside commitments, such as being a student researcher and working with legislators to ban harmful diet pills and muscle supplements for Eating Disorder Advocacy with Harvard, being a part of a journalism and poetry and literature organization called Bridge to Literacy which works to help those around the world read and write, leading PupilPrep to mentor students all around NYC with language and financial barriers, leading Medical Marvels to educate the world about medicine and medical jobs, a Chill Pill Ambassador for a new Mental Health app for youth, it is a lot to balance with school. Tasmia recalls her having her good days and bad days when it comes to her responsibilities and cooking.
“I’ll be honest, some days I feel very distanced from my academic life, and I use cooking as an escape. But, I’m currently working on a way to balance both.”
“I have learned many lessons from the importance of doing something for love and passion and not out of fear or judgment of new knowledge about the science of foods. My perspective has changed in everything. I am taking the experiences that I have gained from learning how to cook and bake with me wherever I go.”
To follow Tasmia’s food adventure, check out her instagram page here!
“I have learned many lessons from the importance of doing something for love and passion and not out of fear or judgment of new knowledge about the science of foods. My perspective has changed in everything. I am taking the experiences that I have gained from learning how to cook and bake with me wherever I go,” said Tasmia Afrin ’23.
“To be told that my efforts and work is appreciated is something that keeps me going, to bake and put my love into something.” (Tasmia Afrin ’23)
Aaminah Bukhari is a Copy Chief for ‘The Science Survey.’ Her job is to edit her fellow peers’ articles to help them display their full writing potential....
