Sampling London
Street Vendors of London: A Culinary Adventure @DanPhalen A few weeks before leaving Kansas, I admitted a long-kept secret of mine to the group. I actually really enjoy British pub-food. One of the activities that I was earnestly looking forward to in London was eating pub-food at any opportunity that I could get. I had planned on eating at pubs so often, that I could write an article in The London Review on the subject. Yet, here you are reading an article on London street vendors, instead of pub food. So, what happened to my original plan? What happened was that for three days in a row, I ate at some truly excellent street vendors. And when I say truly excellent, I mean truly excellent. Not only was the food amazing, but the circumstances surrounding my arrivals always made for a great experience. Eating at these vendors honestly ended up being some of my favorite parts of the trip. My street vendor experiences allowed me to see a side of London that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. And the food was amazing, have I mentioned that yet? I ate at my first street vendor on Wednesday afternoon. My group and I emerged from the tube station, excited to tour nearby St. Paul’s Cathedral. As we walked through an ally, we passed a small tent were some gentlemen were selling what appeared to be massive burritos. I distinctly recall that these burritos smelled amazing, and I almost asked for a small detour so that I might try one. However, I’m a team player, and didn’t want to hold the group back, so we pressed on. Arriving at St. Paul’s, we were dismayed to learn that the cathedral had just closed for tours, and would not be opening again that day. Our group walked around the
96
London Review 2014
sidewalk for a moment, debating what to do next. Unexpectedly, someone suggested that we go back to the burrito tent that we had passed. I am not going to lie, I was incredibly psyched to hear this. I seconded that suggestion, and the rest of the group agreed. We returned to the burrito tent, and soon discovered that the burritos were only five pounds. This was good news to me, not only because it was cheap, but it was also a great opportunity to rid my pockets of the horde of coins that I had accumulated. Moving into the burrito queue, I started to examine my options. It was very similar to what you would find at Chipotle, but with a few more possible ingredients, such as jalapenos. I supposed that I would not be returning to this burrito tent anytime soon, so I ordered everything on mine, which was a great call. After we had all ordered, we milled about like tourists for a bit, unsure of where to sit. One of the burrito-men noticed us, and directed us to an old church behind the tent. He said that they let people eat lunch in there. Now, this seemed incredibly fishy at
the time, as none of us had ever eaten a church burrito before. However, once we entered, we discovered that the church contained a small café area that was full of people eating their lunches. It was a very eclectic mixture of people. Some looked like the hippie type, others were definitely businessmen, and they were all chowing down in a very old looking church. It was a great experience, definitely not one I’ll ever forget. Perhaps the best part about it was that I can now make the statement, “I ate a giant burrito in an old church in London,” and not be lying. The next day, a few of us headed to University College London in an attempt to find the preserved body of philosopher Jeremy Bentham. It was an amusing search to say the least, as classes were in session that day. We wondered around for a while, before finally one of us boldly asked where the body was. After snapping a few photos with a dead gentlemen, we walked outside and discovered a farmers market had been set up in a nearby square. Luck was on our