This just in! All British food is NOT terrible. I know what you're thinking, and I was skeptical too at first. But trust me on this folks: there is good food to be had in this city, even if much if it is international. You just have to know where to look. Anyone who knows me well knows I LOVE food. I love reading about it, looking at it, shopping for it, cooking it, and most of all, eating it. This week is also the London Food Festival, so the timing was right for me to go nosh on some London goodies. The actual festival takes place in restaurants across the city, the majority of which are out of my price range. So I decided to do it my own way and hit the market for some home-grown goodies instead.
Covent Garden (one view at left) is one of my favorite places to go hang out, mostly because of the variety of good shopping in both the covered stalls and nearby Apple and Jubilee markets as well as the excellent people-watching. There's also a Real Food market outside on select days, showcasing the wares of local farmers, butchers, and general food producers from a surprising variety of nationalities and backgrounds. Buskers and street performers hang around the perimeter and a musician or two can usually be found inside, both of which make for an interesting afternoon.
Today was sunny and summer-warm (I'd say about 70 degrees, maybe warmer in the sun) so I took my time wandering over to Covent Garden. Okay, okay, I got lost. I don't know what it is about markets, but no matter what city I'm in, I tend to lose them. Florence, Rome, Paris, London, it doesn't matter. If there's a market tucked away somewhere, it will take me twice as long to find as any other landmark, guaranteed. Needless to say, once I did find it, I was very glad I did.
Next challenge: what to sample. The Real Food market consists of vendors selling everything from Mediterranean wares like tabbouleh, humus and balaclava, farm-raised lamb and beef, hot sauces and chutneys, all sorts of breads, pastries and tarts, pierogis and Polish sausages, Italian meats and cheeses, Spanish paella and mussel stew, Mexican corn crepes with grilled veggie filling, German bratwurst, local fruits and vegetables, cupcakes, and even one stand selling fresh oysters and champagne. Everything looked delicious, and it took me several passes to figure out my options, never mind what I wanted to try myself. Ever the frugal traveler, my wallet finally won out. Most everything went for between 3 and 6 pounds, which isn't bad considering a meal in that vicinity can easily run a person 10-15. But why pay 3 pounds for a meat pie or bratwurst when I can get a full meal for 5.50? The Polish stand was selling a "lunch box" containing a scoop of grilled spiced potato chunks, a scoop of salad (think coleslaw with some sort of light oil instead of mayo), pickles and a Polish sausage piece or chicken and sausage skewer for 5.50. Sold, to the hungry American!
I wish I had remembered my camera, because this little box was a thing of beauty. Okay, okay, it kind of looked like a cafeteria-style paper box full of junk. But man, was it tasty. The Polish sausage (Kielbasa in my house, thankyouverymuch) was of the smoked variety: juicy enough to squirt at me when poked with my little wooden fork but tender enough to fall apart with some encouragement from the same. The potatoes were nicely spiced, but not spicy enough to take off any taste buds, and the salad and pickles made a nice, fresh compliment to the heartier components.
Best of all: I got to eat the whole thing sitting with my back against a sun-warmed pillar listening to a busker (who wasn't half bad, actually) playing American classic rock on his guitar as I watched people of all nationalities wander by. I could listen in on accents and languages from all over the world and catch aromas of charcoal and cigarette smoke, the tang of countless different sauces, and the occasional whiff of some man's too-strong cologne drift by as I sat there, soaking up the rare English sun. It was an afternoon of beauty, my friends.
Afterward, I decided to take a little wander and ended up catching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace entirely by accident, stumbling into an African festival at Trafalgar Square, stopping by my old buddy Big Ben and Westminster Abbey just to say hello, and generally getting my bearings around the city. I promise, next time I WILL bring my camera, because these sights are something else. The sun was setting behind Westminster as I left, blindingly brilliant as I was walking directly into it. I don't know if I'd want to live directly in London for any length of time; too many tourists, and the traffic is hellacious, but it's sure a gorgeous place to walk around for the day. One of these times, I'll snap a few shots and show you, from my own perspective.
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