I find the patterns and eating habits of backpackers to be fascinating. No two backpackers eat the same; we all have individual tastes, homelands, and budgets, but there are many common trends to the typical diet.
Some, either cheap, poor or lazy eat the same tasteless, empty-calorie foods. Fifty-cent instant noodles. Random things over toast. Rice and ketchup. I made the last one up, but I have been patiently waiting for this likely combination. Often, these are single traveling men, who either don't know how to cook or would just rather surf than spend any time actually cooking. I see these people and wonder how they still have the muscle structures to carry their backpacks. Most travelers are limited to a strict budget though, so there are many classic inexpensive foods that have been keep college students and backpackers happy for years. A loaf of bread, bag of rice, spaghetti and of the course the supplemental instant noodle packet are essential. As is peanut butter, the perfect nutrient-rich, quick-energy, superfood.
Most seem to eat the best food they can afford in both effort and monetarily. It does take practice to find the balance between cost and quality. My first week was terrible. I had this plan for tasty, yet extremely cheap meals, all costing under $2.00. Just combine what ever sauce packets I could find on sale, half a can of random canned vegetables, a sausage ($2.50 for eight sausages!), with a squirt of ketchup, served over rice. The endless combinations of random sauce packets and canned vegetables would provide the much needed variety in my diet. This plan did not work; every single one I made tasted terrible.
The next week, I took the more common approach of buying cheap fresh vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes, then make various curries and stir fries, of course, served over rice. I decided that I could only afford to buy and carry only one spice, curry powder. This was a wise choice. I've found that it is quite versatile. I'm considering putting it on peanut butter toast, just once. Another popular meal that I've not made yet, is a pot of spaghetti, with various meats, vegetables, a jar of marinara sauce. It is best to purchase a small tupperware container and save your leftovers for the next night or even week for some.
Eggs are a great choice of protein; they are inexpensive, but only practical for longer stays. Eggs have the survival rate of a soldier at the battle of Ypres when traveling from town to town. Transporting food also dictates much of the food to purchase. Bulk amounts of food saves money, but you just don't want to carry a five pound bag of basmatti rice, even if you can actually afford to buy basmatti rice. Most perishables must be eaten right away. Many buy day to day, or plan for only three nights, choosing to carry only the overlooked necessities such as salt, pepper, vegetable oil, rice, and some sort of butter substitute.
The hostel kitchen facilities are ofter terrible, complete with all-stick pans surfaces and dull knives. You need to be creative, learn to cook rice without a lid or serve canned soup with a slotted spoon. Typically, only 1/2 to 3/4 of the burners actually function. There will be only one microwave. The toaster will either only cook one side of the bread or burn it to a crisp on the lowest setting. When I see a hostel kitchen, I can see the setting of the televisions next big reality show: Backpacker Kitchen.
Many choose to wave the obstacles of cooking altogether and just eat out, though most only do this seldom as a treat. McDonalds is a classic option. Only $2.00 buys a double cheeseburger. My guilty pleasure is their terrible, yet refreshing tasting fifty-cent ice cream cone. They will always take a credit card, no matter how small the purchase. Asian food is another cheap option, but many would rather just skip the rice for one night. One trick I learned early is to venture to chinatown right at closing time. For just a couple of dollars, they'll give you quite a large container to clean up on their old food, right before it is thrown out. This creates some interesting combinations! A trip to Subway is good way to get a weeks serving of vegetables in one five dollar meal.
Food can often be an overlooked part of our lives. Simply put, it is just hard to feel happy and healthy when you don't eat well. Sadly, this is a difficult to satisfy on the road.
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