And Part 3 of BM and Buddhi in London
Saturday + Visitors = Borough market.
The market is great, its a great photo-op, the tourists you see there try to blend in which is always very amusing to watch. The only non-cool thing about it is that the bankers of Shad Thames and City all land up there because its such a quintessentially London thing to do, isn't it now? Yeah, these are the same people who sit around and make fun of poor software engineer types who spend their day in East Ham visiting Mahalaxmi Temple and Saravana Bhavan.
And now that the obligatory deragatory banker reference is out of the way, back to Borough market. The original plan was to walk there. Didn't work too well as Bill and I realised soon enough that we are dealing with two Californians here. (If I were the Falstaffian type, here I would talk about how in Umberto Eco's Travels in Hyperreality, he talks about how in California, the left leg is a vestigial appendage as they have even gotten rid of the clutch etc.) So anyway, we go to London Bridge and BM pulls out camera and starts taking random pictures of corner stores (who also sell vegetables) thinking its the market. We finally manage to convince her that it isn't and she follows reluctantly. Once inside the market, she was like a pattikattan (village idiot) who sees elephant for the first time. Evidence follows.
An hour later we find ourselves at this stall tasting some amazing dry cured ham when my phone rings.
"Hey Anoop"
Bill, Buddhi and BM scream "Hi Anoop". Everyone around us turn around.
"I have news. I should have been in London, I know but now I am making a whirlwind trip to India"
"What?"
"Last minute plan. I am packing right now. My flight leaves in a couple of hours"
"How long are you in India?"
"For a few weeks"
"Are you getting married?"
"Not that I know of"
"Should I call your Dad to check?"
"No, thats unnecessary"
"Hmm..not even sneak preview?"
"No. All will be revealed when I get back"
"We shall wait patiently for Revealations then"
BM, Buddhi and Bill all together: "Bye Anoop". This time, people around us just move away.
Wild boar sausages is where the queue was. So obviously we decide that's where we should be. Problem is its a long, long queue. And we are all ravenous.
"Idea! We got tampanade and cheese right?"
"Why don't you guys go stand in line and I will go get some bread. We will have it while we are standing in line"
"That works!"
Soon we are all standing in long line hogging. Everyone who passes us stares at us. People in front of and behind us in the queue peep in to see what's going on.
Finally the girl just in front of us couldn't take it anymore. She calls her friend. "Where are you?"..."Yes, I am in line"..."Why don't you pick up some olives and chesse along with the bread?"...."Why? Just pick up some"..."I am hungry"..."The line is long".
She hangs up and Buddhi decides to be the friendly neighborhood types.
"You can have some of this bread if you want"
The girl looks scared this time. She mumbles No, Thank You and runs away.
Yeah, yeah, we finally got our wild boar sausage. Here.
PS: BM, didn't you have some amazing cheese pictures somewhere? Or am I thinking of one of Szerelem's old posts?
5 comments:
I think it was
this post!
I was reminded of it the moment i saw your post :D I loved the Borough!
Hmmm, someone seems to be masquerading as Szerelem. There was no reference to Turkish Delight.
cat: very sharp. but I hope you don't disapprove of our stroll (and picture clicking) in Cecil Court and the village of Pickwick?!
and veena, I am sure you have the cheese pictures. just take a good look at shonku. and you call americans "pattikattan"?! you are turning all too british and mean now.
blackmamba
Cheshire Cat: Oh, very funny :)
Cecil Court pics! Cecil Court pics!
Did you drop in at Greening Burland? It's interesting not so much for the collection as for the lovingly abusive relationsip between the proprietors Locke and Poole.
Post a Comment