Mouthwatering in Spitalfields Market

The moment I arrived in London the first thing I took notice of was the people. All sorts of different people live and work here, and it is a big mix of different cultures, backgrounds, and unique stories. If you tune in at any given moment in a public place, you’re bound to hear at least three different languages being spoken around you. It is a very curious place to wonder, but an even more fascinating place to inquire.

When we arrived at Spitalfields Market on we were immediately granted with the opportunity to do just that! I was with my shopping and travel buddy Leah, who is studying costume design and is the go-to fashionista on this adventure. She immediately noticed a pair of flowing green pants that she fell in love with and decided she wanted to try on. She ended up buying them, and when I returned, I found her chatting with the vendor who ran the booth. We discovered that he designs all the clothes that he had on display! This was exciting even for me, who knows nothing about fashion.

My grandmother is multi-lingual, and she always told me growing up that knowing different languages is like having all the keys to different worlds. She enthused me many a time about how speaking someone’s language will open them up and show you a portal into a different part of someone’s soul. I was reminded of her as we continued to speak to this fashion designer.

His name was Hector, and as we continued to get to know him, we found out he was from Colombia! Leah began to speak Spanish with him and his whole face lit up and he became so animated and excited! He told us about all his favorite places to eat and dance in London! We learned that he loves to Salsa, and he gave us recommendations for the fun salsa dancing clubs in London. He showed us his drawings of his design process and we found out that he designs the clothes, and his mom makes them! He told us that sometimes his dreams of what he wants to create are limited because of the cost it would take to make them. I was fascinated by this, I wondered how much of our creativity is limited by things such as materials and monetary cost. He told us the story about how he worked for one of the most famous fashion designers in the world at Dior, and then left to open his own company. I had so much more admiration and respect for this man who I wouldn’t have known a single thing about if we hadn’t taken the time to ask. I asked if I could take his picture and we follow each other on Instagram now, I unexpectedly made a new friend!

With this experience now under my belt I wanted to keep going. I walked across the way to a booth that was full of handmade greeting cards. The cards had different sayings on them that the vendor described as “mean and nice.” Some of the cards were pointedly harsh, but hilarious. The others were sentimental and sweet. As I read through her designs I chuckled at her sense of humor. She opened to me and told me that she has been in two difficult and painful relationships, and this is what inspired her to make the cards.

“Every time I had a bad feeling, I made a card about it.” She told me. This really touched my heart. I admired her way of using art to express her feelings. She told me she couldn’t even draw a straight line when she started, and I told her how amazing it was that she had created her own art style from scratch like this! Even more proof that art is meant for everyone. “I started out making the mean cards,” she told me, “And then I met someone really sweet, and I started making the nice cards.” At this point I was falling in love with this woman’s story. I was picking out all the cards that I liked to take home with me and I saw a card with a cow on it that I really liked about being ‘moody.’

“My family would get this one for me.” I told her, “My favorite animals are cows and I’ve always been the ‘dramatic’ one of the family.” She giggled at this and proceeded to show me all the cards she had made with cows on them!

Then she showed me two cards. “This was the first card I made, and this was my most recent one.” The most recent card had a big red heart and three keys. It read, “when you gave me the keys to your heart, I wish you had told me that you had made duplicates.” Tears immediately sprung to my eyes. I related to this woman and her story so deeply, and I loved the way she had chosen to turn her pain into something beautiful for others to connect to. I ended up buying about twenty of her cards, and she gave me a discount and then said, “throw in that cow one on me,” and gave me what she could tell was my favorite cow art for free! I asked if I could take her picture and she told me that she is from Michigan! I won’t be forgetting her and her story anytime soon.

As we moved along, all the people at the market were so friendly! They would strike up conversations with us and crack jokes. It was such a welcoming environment.

When we got hungry for lunch we were absolutely overwhelmed with options. We joked that we could come back here every single day and have something different for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each time—but this wasn’t an exaggeration! Everything looked amazing! They even had a food truck that was just different types of cobbler. Even the things I’m used to having in America were vastly different, the burgers, the cupcakes, everything! It’s making me hungry right now just thinking of it. I decided to go with Piadina Bros, the Italian Artisan flatbread. The way the smells of the grill called out to me was irresistible and I immediately knew the choice had been made for me. Leah chose something yummy from an authentic Greek food truck. That has been one of my favorite things about the food experience here so far; if you’re choosing food from another culture, it’s typically made by the people of that culture, and you get the sense that you’re genuinely experiencing something from another part of the world!

My piadina was absolutely delicious, the vegetables were fresh, and I watched the man cook it right in front of me! He was an interesting character too, covered in tattoos with cool hair! I almost asked to take his picture, but he seemed overwhelmed with orders, so I didn’t bother him. Leah let me try a bit of her Greek food and it was also fantastic.

After we had walked around a bit (and I spent plenty of money), we saw a sign that said “Best Chai in London!” I normally don’t like chai, and the chai latte I had when we first arrived in London wasn’t too impressive. However, I decided to take a risk. I was sure the advertisement was just an exaggeration, but I was trusting. The vendor allowed us to sample the chai we were ordering before we committed to it and I picked the chai that was ‘best for coffee lovers.’ After I got my hands on that sample, I very emphatically ordered a full cup. It was delicious, truly the best chai I’ve ever had.

“I’m not even sure you can call this chai, it’s so good.” I told Leah. It was like a drink sent down from the heavens; the perfect level of cream mixed with spice. The flavor hit just right, and I can’t wait to go back and get more as soon as I’m able.

We found several stores and vendors that we want to go back and visit once we have some more time. I found a vintage store that is so on brand for me they might as well have named it “Margaret’s.” They have vintage dresses covered in flower patterns! My favorite!

This was one of my favorite days in London, it was so peaceful and perfectly encapsulated everything you’d want from a shopping trip in London. I was impressed by the quality of everything. Contrary to most things I’ve found in America, everything there was well made. You could tell a lot of time, thought, and quality materials were put into the creation of everything there. From the clothes and the hair accessories to the food and drinks, everything was top of the line.

I’m officially a fan of Old Spitalfields Market! I’m also endlessly thankful that I have a travel buddy like Leah; someone who is open to new experiences and loves to talk with a stranger just like me! You never know what is waiting at the end of a good conversation. Having someone likeminded and willing to try new things with me has been a true gift. I learn new things from her every day, and she makes stepping out of my comfort zone not so scary! She inspires me every day, and I can’t wait to travel to Amsterdam with her at the end of our London adventure!