One of the best reasons to visit our part of the world is the incredible food. If you love cooking, love food, or want to learn more about the cuisines of Asia, we think you will enjoy the programs below. You do not have to be a trained chef to enjoy any of these programs.

Several include cooking classes. Emphasis is on dishes that can be prepared using ingredients you can find easily in your home country. If your traveling companion is not interested in cooking classes, please let us know and we will keep him or her busy with other activities during class time.

A Taste of Thailand In just a few fun days you can learn enough Thai cooking to prepare a banquet when you return home. This Chiang Mai program includes three full days of cooking classes. (You can add up to three more days if you want to take the full course.) Students get a personal work station and ingredients. The teacher demonstrates a dish, then you try it on your own. Prepare three or four dishes each day, then eat what you have made. At the end you get a cookbook to take home.

Flavors of Siam This Bangkok cooking school program is more than just cooking Thai cooking classes, it is an exploration of Thai cuisine and culture that includes visits to markets and all of the most important places to see in Bangkok. All cooking classes are hands-on at a personal work station. Even non-cooks will have fun learning simple but delicious dishes they can make back home.

Wocking on the Beach Learn to cook Thai food in Phuket at a school located on a spectacular private beach. This one is three nights, but you can stay longer.

Glorious Guilin This is not a food tour per se. However, fantastic food is such an integral part of a visit to Guilin that we have to mention it. In most big cities you have to look hard to find a good meal. In Guilin you have to look hard to find a bad one. The city is brimming with so much good food that you could spend days and nights just eating. But if you can not tolerate spicy food you will be disappointed. Nestled between Hunan and Guangdong (home to Cantonese cooking), Guilinese cuisine is vivid and full of chilies of every description.

Ancient City Lanes Explore Beijing's Traditional Hutong Districts and enjoy lunch in a Chinese home. You can watch while your hostess creates steamed dumplings and other traditional food.