It’s not what you eat, it who you Eat With
Sampling the local cuisine is definitely one of the highlights of a holiday in Barcelona; the choice and variety the city has to offer appears to be endless. I recently discovered a new and exciting culinary experience that can be enjoyed here. EatWith.com operates in several different countries and aims to give predominantly tourists a unique, authentic dining experience that they would not otherwise encounter.
The ever increasing popularity of community websites continues, such as Air B&B, Couch Surfing and Bla Bla Car, where people can create a profile and either offer a service (in these examples, accommodation and car-share), or accept them. This allows people to visit and travel around foreign countries relatively cheaply, with a sense of authenticity that is lost when one books a package holiday through an agency. EatWith.com falls neatly into this category. There is a wide range of hosts and cuisines, and trying it out in Barcelona is highly recommended.
So how does it work exactly? Easy, go to the website, find a host in Barcelona and see which menu tickles your fancy. The menus and prices are fixed, as they would be in a restaurant, the difference is the added extra of a private host and the chance to meet local people who want nothing more than to make your stay in Barcelona memorable and delicious. A time and date is fixed online or over the phone and you can read reviews left by previous customers.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to a host who has recently joined the website to get the inside scoop on how this new phenomenon really works and why it is taking the city by storm. Shane Callaghan is from Ireland and has been living in Barcelona for three years, working as an English teacher and writer. He is also a keen culinary enthusiast who wanted to take this further than just hosting fabulous dinner parties for his fabulous friends.
The hosts of EatWith often choose a theme , such as a strictly local, home grown tapas-and-paella combination or something more creative like Shane. He took a slightly different approach that has proved to be very well received.
“My housemate and I are from Ireland and Norway. We’re aware that our local cuisines aren’t necessarily the most sought after, so we decided to take a different approach.” Shane and Håvard appropriately dubbed their evening ‘Food from around the world, accompanied by world music’. Shane prepares the meal and Håvard, a professional, classically trained musician, entertains guests with spectacular performances on the piano or the cello.
The hosts live in an enviably stunning apartment in the heart of the Born district, which is another winning aspect that the duo can offer to their guests. Why eat your dinner in a stuffy, crowded restaurant when you could be comfortably sitting in a newly renovated, tastefully decorated apartment with high ceilings, where the service is personal and the experience is unique? Obviously there are hundreds of gorgeous, high quality places to eat around the city, but if the choice is between a microwaved, over-priced paella on La Rambla, or Shane’s tantalizing menu, we know where we would rather eat!
The starter is a salad that Shane first tried when he visited Germany; spinach, sundried tomatoes, goats’ cheese and assorted nuts accompanied by a homemade honey and mustard dressing. The main course originates from Russia, but Shane follows a French recipe for his Beef Stroganoff. A dish close to his heart is offered to finish it all off; his Grandma’s secret recipe Baileys Cheesecake! The guests are provided with wine to accompany their meal, but Shane (like many other hosts on the website) welcomes and encourages guests to bring their own alcohol and soft drinks if they wish to continue after the meal is finished.
From Shane’s experience, being a member of EatWith has many benefits aside from earning a little bit of extra money. “It is a great way to meet new people, practice your language skills and learn about different cultures, as well as enjoying great food in pleasant company.” If this sounds like something you would like to get involved with, why hesitate. Check out the EatWith website now for full details and maybe you could find yourself enjoying an evening of home cooking, world music and sparkling conversation in the not so distant future. Find a menu that turns you on, and…bon profit! www.eatwith.com
Text by Kelly Page
