London's Cuisine

London has given me a different perspective on a lot of the rules regarding one of my all-time favorite things: food. As Americans, we have come to expect certain outcomes when it comes to food.  There are expectations as far as grocery shopping goes, as well as service, portion size, and condiments. 


Grocery shopping is always an adventure.  I feel I have begun to understand the basic rules, beginning with bringing your own grocery bag.  I have become quite fond of my orange-with-yellow-elephants reuable bag which contains the saying "I'm small, sturdy, and strong."  Although the corner got singed off in a lunch-time mishap after the last grocery shopping experience, it still carries groceries no problem.  This is very necessary because the walk from the grocery store to the flat feels like quite the hike when you're carrying 30 pounds worth of groceries.  Another rule of the grocery store? Always check the expiration date. The grocery stores here aren't too much different from the ones at home, besides the fact that they're a little more expensive, there usually isn't quite as much of a selection, and the produce expires sooner.  Flat 2 learned our lesson about products that expire quickly the hard way.


Going out to eat is a different story.  Often times you don't have a server, you simply order from the bar.  This isn't so different from America besides the fact that in America you are usually notified you need to order at the bar.  The tip is always confusing, also, because do you leave one?  Do you not leave one?  Is it included?  What percent do you leave?  The end of the meal is always full of chaos.  Also, as Americans, we are used to pretty large-sized portions.  Perhaps this is why a lot of us are complaining of hunger all the time- the British helpings are maybe half the size of American portions.  I don't know if I've seen any all-you-can-eat buffets or free refills.  Maybe it's best we become accustomed to not having these options.


They also don't have the condiments we're used to.  No ranch or honey mustard?  This would not go over well where we're from.  And, if there is ever salt missing from a table, we are instantly notified of this devastation by Lauren Rosenfeldt.


Cooking and eating in London is something to adapt to.  It's something we can learn from and hopefully something we'll always remember.