So, your friends are abroad, and you’re not. They are roaming through Rome on electric scooters and taking skyline pics holding their fifth gelato of the day. Here you are, let me guess, heating up an Easy Mac? Trust me – I get it, and I am here for you. We can make it through this together. These five recipes are so authentic you can pretend you’re soaking up the sun on the beaches of Greece, too. Plus, you should maybe stop scowling while scrolling through Instagram – it’s just not that cute.
1. Spain: Shrimp Paella
Though this rice dish originated in Valencia, paella is a definite Spanish staple. If you want to be a true Spaniard, enjoy it during your lunch feast, along with several other main courses, bread, dessert, and wine. Lunch is the main meal of the day in Spain, but in turn, they might not leave work until 8 pm. Unfortunately for us, our bosses might not dig these hours, so you might have to chef up this recipe for dinner.
2. London: Sunday Roast
This is the meal of all meals. You are actually meant to eat so much that your food baby immobilizes you, and like our Spanish pals, meal time in London is centered around enjoying time with family. Typically including a roasted meat, vegetable, and potato dish, you can prepare your meal to eat anytime between noon and 5 pm this Sunday. Roast away, and devour that stuff so hard that you’ll PTFO into a food coma, dreaming that you’re actually napping in England.
#SpoonTip: Snack on this scrumptious English muffin recipe to calm your hunger in the meantime.
3. Italy: Pappardelle ai Funghi Porcini
AKA pasta with white wine and porcini mushroom sauce for me and my non-Italian speakers. Yeah, your friends may be visiting some historic Roman ruins, but you’re in your bed watching Netflix and eating some bomb pasta, so who’s really winning? Finish off this meal by going out for some ice cream – because let’s face it, you’re not going to make gelato like the Italians do. That’s a craft.
4. France: Crêpes
Okay, yeah, crêpes seem super daunting and too complicated. But, seriously, this recipe breaks down this French cuisine, and your creation will take your imagination right to that French café. Unlike how I usually think of a sweet nutella-stuffed crêpe, the French actually use these as a base for savory stuffing as well. Have fun making these by setting up an interactive bar with berries and Nutella or ham and cheeses. Bon appétit!
5. China: Dumplings
This food is a staple in Chinese culture. Some even consider it symbolic of home and warmth. Why? Well, fun fact, these little pockets of deliciousness were originally used as a way to get warming herbs into individuals suffering from frostbite. Though these are definitely not easy to make, they are worth the effort, and guess what? You have time.
Rather than sitting around, you might as well be learning this sick new skill. Think of how satisfied you’ll feel when your friends come back from their study abroad trips and you’re impressing them with authentic Chinese dumplings.
I know it’s hard to stay home when everyone abroad seems like they’re having the most life-changing experiences abroad. Use these recipes as the first step to curing your FOMO, and then proceed to step two, which is to call me, so that we can wallow in our jealousy together.