The ingredients were all the same – pasta, rice and beef. But the final meals were as diverse as the Scouts preparing them.

The Italians scrounged up some pesto. The Germans had brought their own mix of spices. And the Americans – well, they liked their rice plain and light.

At the World Scout Jamboree in England for two weeks, 32,000 Scouts from 160 countries ate together and camped on the same fields in the outskirts of England.

On Sunday night, troops from four countries decided they should have a potluck in the grassy field by their campsites.

"At first, they bunched with themselves," said Don Wendell, the Scoutmaster for one of the two groups that landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Wednesday night after 16 days in Europe. "Next thing you know the whole patrol was invited to have dinner with a patrol from another continent."

That dinner was one of many chances for more than 70 North Texas Boy Scouts to get a taste – in some cases literally – of other cultures.

Israelis and Palestinians got along just fine. Iraqis and Iranians wandered around, trading patches and uniforms with American Boy Scouts.

When the troops from North Texas cleared customs, the weary but excited teens had stories to tell their parents about the people they met during the international event.

"Each Scout brought their culture and shared it," said Chris Kuzmin, 17, of Plano. "That made it more meaningful than just talking about it in a classroom."

Mr. Kuzmin proudly pulled out a stack of about 50 business cards he got from Scouts from countries including Finland, Pakistan and Bulgaria. He gave away quite a few himself and hopes to stay in touch.

The event in England – themed "One World, One Promise" – came on the 100th anniversary of Scouting, a movement started by British war hero Robert Baden-Powell. It was the 21st world jamboree, an event held every three years at a different location around the world. Three thousand of the participants came from the U.S.

The Texans were placed in a campsite with campers from different countries on each side, to encourage cross-cultural conversations and interaction.

Most parents willingly shelled out $4,000 or more for their sons to go.

"The boys were camped between the Germans and the Georgians," said mother Anne Collins of Highland Park. "When a lot of them were born, Germany was still divided, and Georgia didn't exist as a country."

A few years ago, Ms. Collins' son Andy hiked across Ireland with a group of Scouts from that country as part of an exchange program.

In England last week, Andy brought his bagpipes and had a jam session with Scottish Scouts, clad in kilts, who welcomed him into their circle.

When Andy arrived at the airport Thursday, he wore an Egyptian Scout uniform with the country's flag on his sleeve. More than a hundred parents and other family members – waving flags, holding banners and cheering – greeted the Scouts as they walked toward the crowd.

David Seitz, 16, of North Dallas said he was struck by how easy it was to meet new people.

"There's really no other place in the world where you can go walk up to a random person and start a conversation," he said.

Jeff Lavine, a 15-year-old Eagle Scout from Plano, said discussions with Scouts from Nigeria included the global AIDS pandemic and global development. Some of the European Scouts were interested in talking about violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

Scouts also had the opportunity to meet some dignitaries – including Jane Goodall, the legendary chimpanzee expert, who implored Scouts to take issues like conservation seriously, and Prince William, who welcomed the Scouts to his country.

Young boys, it turns out, have more in common than not.

"We had a lot of similarities. A lot of the kids spoke English because it's taught in their schools," said Patrick Stone, 15, of Plano. "They liked to know what kind of restaurants we have, how much things cost and what kinds of cars we drive."