Curry Night & Flea Market, east London

At the risk of sounding like my professor (no offense, Anthony!), the cultural significance of a curry night in England cannot be over exaggerated. In the last two months, I have noticed that Indian cuisine is at least as prevalent in London as British cuisine. I first experienced curry on the plane from America - I was served chicken curry on a British Airways flight, and I wasn't quite prepared for it. To be honest, I had never been properly introduced to Indian food.

When CAPA offered a free "curry night" in east London, I was curious. Not one to turn down a free meal, I signed up tout de suite. Fifty or so students turned up at SHERAZ Bangla Lounge on Brick Lane. Before the meal began our professor, Dr. Gristwood, gave us an introduction to the food, the restaurant, and the area. 

FOOD

I would have expected Britain's national dish to be a hearty meal of roast beef and yorkshire puddings, or maybe some salty fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. But no, according to former foreign secretary Robin Cooke (and popular opinion) chicken tikka masala is "Britain's true national dish."

RESTAURANT

The restaurant is located on Brick Lane, in London's East End. The next segment of the introduction took an unexpected (and unappetizing) turn toward murder. Sheraz Bangla is supposedly located on the site of the pub where serial killer Jack the Ripper's first victim downed her last pint in 1888! Below is an illustration of the discovery of Mary Ann Nichols' body. Mary Ann was the first of his 'canonical five victims.'

Credit

AREA

East London has long been an area associated with poverty, immigrants, and crime. Various immigrant communities have settled there over the last two hundred years, including Hugenots, Jews, Bangladeshis, and recently, Somalis. But the East End's reputation is recovering, and its residents are no longer strictly immigrants. Walking around the area I saw plenty of hipsters on Brick Lane and fashionable young professionals closer to Spitalfields Market. 

My meal was excellent: chicken with Saag sauce (spinach in medium spices), a side of Bombay Aloo potatoes, and naan. I also tried some of Kristina's chicken in Korma sauce (a yellow sauce with a sweet coconut flavor). 

Afterwards, Kris and I decided to do some shopping. My friend Aalia had recommended that we come down the street to the American Apparel London Flea Market once we had finished eating. We had absolutely no clue what to expect. At around 8:00pm, we arrived at the Old Truman Brewery at #81, as per Aalia's directions. There was a long queue out front, but we decided to wait and see if it would move quickly. It did, and about five minutes later we were allowed to enter the warehouse...

Inside, there were racks and racks and racks of discounted clothing. We searched through endless rows of dresses and leggings and tank tops. In the end, I bought five things. Usually I try to save rather than spend, but it's against my beliefs to turn down quality clothes at 75% off. I walked away with two thick acrylic scarves, a lace and raglan shirt, a bodysuit, and pink tights for just £30 ($46). Not bad for thirty quid!

In other news, my beautiful cousins sent me a Halloween card and it made my day! My aunt is Japanese, and the girls are learning to read, write and speak Japanese alongside English. On the inside of the card, both sides are decorated with drawings, Japanese characters, and a few short and sweet sentences in English. Thank you, Maya and Julia! I'm sending my love to you stateside!

** I know that I haven't written much in the past three weeks. My mom and stepfather, Jamie, were here to visit from the 6th through the 17th, and I couldn't find the time in between class, my internship, and pretending to be a tour guide. However, I promise updates on their visit soon. Hopefully there will be plenty of photos of Windsor Castle, Devon and Cornwall, and the Oyster Festival in Falmouth!

Also, I will be traveling through Prague, Vienna, and Oslo in the coming week. Although I have traveled extensively for my twenty-one years, I'm a bit nervous. I've been to most countries in western Europe, the Caribbean, and even to South America, but this will be my first time traveling to eastern Europe and Scandinavia. It's time to rally my sense of adventure (and my roommate Amy) and prepare for an amazing trip! The night before a trip is like Christmas Eve to me, as if I bought myself a fabulous gift back in September and had to wait to open it! OH, WAIT - I DID! A trip to Austria, Norway, and the Czech Republic :) Wish me Bon Voyage!