Foods That Will Make You Nostalgic If You Ever Lived In A Hostel

If you have ever lived in a hostel, then you will agree that the Mess is a real 'mess'. From that watery-dal to the half-burned chapattis, Indian hostellers have faced the most horrific food experiments in human history. But between all those fights with the mess-in charge and frequent midnight hunger pangs, the need for good food would always help bring hostellers together. New bonds would often be forged over food, or the lack of it!Hostel-life is itself an uncanny adventure. From doing the laundry to filling your stomach, you learn to live on your own. The all-nighters, playing video games, getting to know a new genre of music, doodling here and there - living in a hostel is an experience that can really get us all nostalgic. And since food and nostalgia are such a great combination, we've put together a list of foods that will instantly make you walk down memory lane if you have ever been part of the hostel-life!_{Living in a hostel is an experience that can really get us all nostalgic}Jhal-MuriJhal-Muri is an ideal snack for most hostellers, you know that right? Give them a pack of puffed-rice and they will literally make the most amazing variation of Jhal-Muri! It's quick, it's tasty and you can add a variety of packed namkeens to it. This mid-night snack is a boon for every hosteller there ever was. A warning though, it gets over in a blink of an eye in hostels, so make sure you make loads!
Rolled-ChapattisWho knew that absurd mess-chapattis can ever be a gift to the hostellers? Left-over chapattis rolled with self-made fillings and you are suddenly not hungry anymore. If you were an all-nighter owl hosteller, then you have literally survived on this! Fillings that most have experimented with include tangy ketchup, spicy chips, mayonnaise, jam etc. But it was all you had at 2 am!_{Left-over chapattis rolled with self-made fillings} ChaiMost people's love affair with chai begins in college or hostel. It's the only thing that eggs you on to go a little more during those all-nighters. The hostel is a place where even boiled water is seen as a potential food item, so you can only imagine what it feels like when a CHAI sighting is made! Even those who never drank tea in their entire life become chai-lovers when in hostels!Instant NoodlesHostellers literally survive on this! Somewhere between Ma's tasty food and hostel's 2-minute noodles, most of us grew up. It's a versatile dish so the number of experiments in different hostels is unimaginable! Ask any hosteller and they will tell you that even years after passing out, a sudden hunger pang and they instinctively look for a cup of instant noodles. That's how nostalgia works._{Hostellers survived on Instant Noodles!}Scrambled eggsCheers to all those who broke the rule of not cooking in hostels. Most hostels don't allow cooking but a wise man once said, 'Necessity is the mother of all innovation'! And that's entirely true for all those who would hide and rustle up a quick meal in their rooms when displeased with Mess food. Eggs would come to the rescue often and a variety of dishes would be tried - from scrambled to omelets and fried eggs.
Surprise Homemade Food in your LuggageHow can we forget all the surprise food items our Mothers would pack in the luggage so lovingly? From dry-fruits toladoos, cakes and cookies, homemade food was perhaps the most well-guarded by hostellers themselves. If word got out that someone was carrying homemade pickle or sweets, it wouldn't take more than a few hours for the whole lot to be polished off by those hungry souls._{Surprise food items our Mothers would pack in the luggage}These foods have been such an integral part of any hosteller's growing up years that a mere mention and you could go on a massive nostalgia trip. What were your fav foods? Tell us in the comments box.