English
This post is aimed at travelers and not simply tourists. I have always liked more the word “traveler” better than “tourist.” In any case, it’s clear that finding accommodations with a kitchen is a better way to feel more integrated. It forces you to go grocery shopping and bump into people in the midst of their usual routines. Staying in accommodations with a kitchen has many advantages and to demonstrate these we’ll take Budapest, Hungary, as an example.
It is becoming increasingly common to experience new cities away from the hotels full of tourists. Renting an apartment is a great option for just about anyone. It´s fast, easy and reliable. And the biggest advantage is undoubtedly having a kitchen at your disposal. Enjoying good food, with recipes from your home or local ones, is always a good plan. But cooking yourself is the best way to save money while traveling, since you don’t have to go for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, of course, in touristy areas the food will likely be more expensive. Renting an apartment used to be more of an option for long trips, but now this has changed considerably and renting an apartment for a few days is both advisable and comfortable.
Hungary and its capital Budapest are known for their delicious goulash, a dish which is really quite easy to cook and really quite tasty. If you think you’d like to try to make this stew with a very special Hungarian twist yourself, we’ll tell you how. Here are the ingredients : beef (1 and a half kilos, cut into cubes), olive oil, 4 carrots, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 kilo of onions or leeks, 1 bay leaf, cumin, half a glass of wine red, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and paprika, of course. Paprika is a typical and much used spice in Hungary. It all cooks together and then when the meat is fully cooked, you can take it out and put the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree them. The resulting sauce, which has a distinctive flavor and is full of protein, can then be mixed again with the meat. It’s great to serve with rice. And so you can see that is can be relatively easy to cook a tasty dish in your own apartment. Compare it to any restaurant and I assure you that in many cases you will be surprised. I´ve always liked the saying “when in Rome, do as the Romans.” It’s a great way to feel 100% integrated in another country. But at the same time, goulash can taste delicious whether you’re in Budapest or China.
And one more thing: the best part about renting an apartment with a kitchen is that you feel at home anywhere in the world.
