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| My One Picture of Big Ben |
During a recent voyage across the pond, I did manage to get a few pictures of Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the London Eye. However, the majority of the pictures that I took in London reflect the food that was eaten. Rather than posing for photos of myself with friends in front of the city’s many landmarks, I have pictures of burgers done medium rare, the desserts from a Sunday early afternoon dinner party, a table of Spanish tapas and the accompanying ruby toned glasses of wine. Embedded in these photos are memories of the palate; the landscape of textures, colours and scents; the simple moments of daily life. As a dear friend mentioned, every snack has a story and a context.
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I spent an afternoon volunteering at a food bank in Brixton, weighing, unpacking and stocking donated goods at a pantry at St. Paul’s Church. One of my only regrets is that I didn't capture more photos of this afternoon in my camera roll. In scrolling through my iPhone, I came across several pictures of a traditional English breakfast that I enjoyed at Duck Egg Café on Coldharbour Lane. How delightful were the plates of beans and meaty lusciousness with side glasses of pomegranate juice, each boasting thick hues of deep burgundy. I even encountered photos of plates containing crumbs. In examining the image of these crumbs, my tongue immediately retains the flavour of a breakfast of warm buttery croissants and copper coloured milk tea with interwoven hints of honey. My mind then recalls the moist bits and pieces of conversations, gazing out the window into a late summer sky, watching passengers at a stop across the street waiting to board the 137 Clapham bus.
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| English Breakfast at Duck Egg Cafe |
During what was close to two weeks in London, I had the chance to see many old friends, one in particular who frequently visits me in SanFrancisco. I was able as well to see many friends that I’ve met under intense circumstances over the past year and a half. Some of these friends I came to know while volunteering in a disaster zone in northern Japan and others I met living in an ashram in southern India as part of a yoga teacher training programme. There was a reciprocal and almost immediate need for us to nourish one another, to feed our relationships,to delight in both the savory and the sweet. Each morsel reflected the bliss of travel and the associated bonds with a kindred spirit.
Impermanence, it’s the only thing in life that seems to persist. Sometimes the only constant may be the divine flavour of a well prepared chocolate éclair.
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| Rob's Desserts |
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