Hostel cuisine: what’s your dish?

Macaroni & CheeseWe Brits are renowned for our lack of culinary flair. Most visitors to the UK do not find evidence to the contrary (excellent British food exists in many places,  but these are rarely found near the main tourist centres). Most of our European neighbours would probably make excuses about washing their hair or grooming the dog to get out of a British dinner invitation. So the opportunity to cook pasta for a group made up of French and Italians, in Florence of all places, was too good to miss.

It was back in my Inter-Rail days, and I had arrived in Florence towards the end of my trip. I was running out of money, and the hostel blew a hole in my ever-shrinking budget. So I suggested to a group of fellow backpackers that I would make dinner in the hostel kitchen, and they willingly agreed. Clearly their minds were on the money they would save, and being young and innocent had yet to be exposed to the infamous cooking ability of a typical Brit. I only asked that we split the costs of the food.

Now at 17 I knew only one dish: macaroni cheese with bacon. Being in Italy it seemed appropriate to produce my own rendition of this classic, a dish that would later sustain me through much of my student years. We soon found bacon, cheese, pasta, milk, butter and a few tomatoes, and I had my main ingredients. It was frustratingly hard to find these things considering I was in Italy. I remember thinking how much easier Italian food is to make when you have Tesco’s down the road. Borrowing a little flour and salt from the left-overs in the hostel cupboards, the meal was prepared and eagerly polished off, and our little group left the table satisfied for little more than a 1,000 Lira each (remember those?)

Almost 25 years later, if I was in the same position I am sure I would choose pasta again. My version of the dish has evolved (pancetta instead of bacon, generous additions of garlic and chilli, and a healthy portion of fresh cream at the end). But the beauty of this meal is that it doesn’t require any fancy ingredients, and whether you’re staying in a hostel, an apartment or a self-catering facility, the few pieces you’ll leave behind will not be expensive and most will last for a long time for others to enjoy.

Cooking while travelling is a lot of fun, and having inflicted my culinary skills on my European friends, I hope that one day I hear of an Italian backpacker who fries up fish and chips for some Brits in a UK hostel. Now that would be impressive!

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