Medical student and content creator: an interview with Tengyu Zhao
Felix speaks to Imperial student Tengyu Zhao about Felix, food and ways to share delicious meals.
Between late-night studying and navigating life in university, most students find it difficult to find time to cook, let alone edit and share cooking videos online. However, Tengyu Zhao, a medical student at Imperial, does just this, posting videos regularly on her growing Youtube channel. This week, Felix shares an interview with Tengyu, to learn about her love for cooking and creating content.
Can you please tell the readers of Felix a bit about yourself?
Hello, I’m Tengyu, a second year medicine student at Imperial. I’ve been doing the doodles in the comics section of Felix for over a year now, too. I’m so excited to be part of the Food and Travel Felix team, and write some recipes for Felix next year!
How did you first get into cooking and content making – was there a moment or a person who influenced you?
The move to university, I’d say. It was definitely tricky to plan meals which were nutritious and budget friendly. With more autonomy over food choices, it allowed me to experiment more than before, and I wanted to share this with the world.
What do you offer and to whom?
I’ve seen quite a lot of content online with recipes that use many ingredients with complicated steps and methods for cooking. Through Felix and sharing videos, I’d love to show an honest perspective on uni student life – a significant proportion of time is spent cooking one-pot recipes or making sandwiches!
Where do you usually get your inspiration for recipes or video ideas?
I love how Imperial is so diverse – there is always a foodie to talk to! Additionally, looking in food-oriented magazines at supermarkets or online, and eating out gave lots of inspiration. I’m always excited to have any recipe suggestions to try too!
Do you have a favourite recipe so far?
Generally, anything that can be done in one pan is a recipe that I like; it feels like you can meal prep for a few days with less washing up to do!
What are your aspirations with your channel?
At some point I’d really love to compile a charity cookbook with quick and easy recipes for university students.
What is something you’ve always wanted to try making but haven’t yet?
I’d love to get more into baking – there’s the capacity to broaden out into many different cuisines! On the list is a lasagna: whilst I’ve made it using pre-made pasta sheets, going all out and making it from scratch is a challenge I’d love to tackle.
How have you found time to balance your love for cooking with your studies and day-to-day life?
On reflection, having good food can really make you smile, so I like cooking when I can. However, it’s a learning curve and I don’t always balance it as well as I’d like! Also, cooking for friends and family is something I love – for example, making cornflake cakes for a picnic!
Are there any places for foodies in London that you recommend?
Ooh, so many! There’s so much variety in Chinatown, Portobello Market, and Hammersmith. Recently, I went to Eat Tokyo and had the salmon with rice which was delicious. I’m also a fan of Chinatown Bakery – trying pandan cake for the first time was lovely.
Any advice for students who want to start their own creative projects while studying?
I would say to find what you’re really passionate about and go from there! Personally, I like creating content, it helps me wind down from lectures, and would recommend if it’s something you’re interested in!
Stay tuned for Tengyu’s issues in the Food & Travel section next year! Follow her under @thatunifoodie on Youtube and TikTok.
@thatunifoodie