By Caroline Monaghan
I flew into Heathrow Airport in London on a Wednesday and am writing this on a Friday. Basically, I still have “American” stamped across my forehead. This was made abundantly clear to me as I sat outdoors at a fancy Italian restaurant where I mistakenly thought I could just order tea and the waiter would not blink an eye.
There’s more than the stereotypical boiled cuisine in London’s food culture. Courtesy of Caroline Monaghan.
(Note: If a restaurant looks “fancy,” plan on ordering an actual meal to avoid getting the “loitering youth” tone of voice). I am by no means a London expert, but — newsflash to all study abroad students — you are not supposed to be an expert. That is the bloody point.
You may be questioning why would I get a “cuppa” at an Italian restaurant. There are tons of diverse people and cultures here in London, including British and all its variations, Indian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. You name it, you can find it here in London. Head to Borough Market on the Thames or Camden Market and you will understand what I mean.
For example, plain old fish and chips is no longer the most famous staple of British cuisine. Instead, you are more likely to find curry fish and chips offered on a London street menu.
London is by all means multicultural, and it is what makes this city so exhilarating. It is more British to eat, think and listen to things outside the confines of old stereotypes. All things considered, we should be honest about fish and chips: It’s pretty bland. This is why Londoners and tourists alike flock to markets and street fairs like Borough Market.
Borough Markets are designed to feel like you are eating foods and flavors right from the streets of Saigon, Calcutta, Beijing, Santorini or Naples. Americans have this preconditioned notion that the British cuisine is below average.
However, it only takes a couple days to realize that British cuisine is without a doubt as colorful as the people that live in Britain. I mean, where else can you see a man in coattails and topcoat playing a tuba? So, ignore the calories because believe me it’s worth it and you won’t get hungry again until it’s time to hit the pub for a pint.
It is important to consider the culture of consuming alcohol abroad. It is inevitable that you will be drinking while abroad because most other places in the world don’t have a 21 year old drinking age. The low-down is that once bartenders are aware you are American they will probably either feed you drinks so you cough up the cash, or dilute your drinks.
The latter is most likely to happen. People do get carried away and it should be a quick lesson that it’s not really what drinking is about here in London, and frankly most places. Pub culture is a lot of fun mostly because the casual atmosphere actually cultivates conversation among a group of friends. It is a refreshing respite from the deafening frustration of trying to spark up a conversation with a stranger and not even being able to get past “Hello” because the pulsing music makes any conversation unintelligible.
I don’t want to mislead people to think that all you do abroad is sit around and have intellectual conversations about existential ideologies and social class inequities. The Brits are pretty epic when it comes to getting rowdy. Go to Carnival in Notting Hill or an O’Neil’s on a Saturday when Premier League starts.
Fear not my fellow Americans, London is the land flowing with pints and fried foods. You will feel right at home.
