Burough Market has an entirely different vibe than Spitalfields. The pace at which crowds wander through is a bit more frenzied, a bit more rushed, and in general, more goal oriented: the goal being lunch. Everyone is hangry, and there is no time to doddle. My first stop took me to a fruit stand selling fresh-pressed juices. The cups of juice were literally sitting amidst gorgeous piles of the fruit that they were made of. I opted for watermelon, which was lovely but a little homesickness inducing. It made me think of those oppressively hot Arkansas Fourth of July’s where the day stretches on a little longer before finally giving in to the dark. Part of me wanted to be sitting in a flimsy, fold-up chair watching fireflies rather than walking through a busy street.
I can’t always eat adventurously because I have a gluten sensitivity (womp, womp), but one goal that I had for this trip was to find some allergen friendly fish and chips. Situated at the bend of a narrow intersection at the edge of Burough Market was the loudest, smallest fish and chips shop you’ll ever find. The words “Fish! Kitchen” glowed as an unnecessarily self-explanatory beacon in the distance. Every order was a yelled relay between cook and cashier with little reminders to help the two cooks keep-up. Yet, they still managed to get order after order out in just a couple of minutes and for the correct customer. I stood back a little to watch the rhythm of how they worked. As a barista, something about the dance that people in the food service industry do every day to get through the rush is fascinating to me. At “Fish! Kitchen” it went something like this:
Cashier: (Looks searchingly through the crowd for customers. Asks for their order before they have too much time to think about it.) “What d’ya want, love? Wheat free, sure. You know we can’t guarantee…”
Head Cook: (Raises eyebrows imploringly. Spins. Batters a piece of fish to toss in the fryer. Looks again at cashier as if to say, “yes, and?”)
Other cook: (Spins. Fills five cups with mushy peas. Turns to check the steadily bubbling cod that the head cook has just forgotten.)
Cashier: “Gluten-free Haddock!!!”
Head Cook: “Did you tell her that we can’t guarantee…..?!”
Cashier: (to customer) “We can’t guarantee that it’s allergen free.”
Cashier: (yells across fryer) “She said it’s okay!!!”
Head Cook: (yells back across fryer) “She said it’s okay?!”
Cashier: (yells once again with the barest hint of an eye roll across the haze of steam gathering over the fryer) “She said it was okay!!!!!”
Other cook: (Boxes orders and hands them to customers. Looks back at head cook concerned. Fills five more cardboard jars with tartar sauce. Triple checks a piece of cod in the fryer.)
Head Cook: (Listening to another order) “No! No!”
Head Cook: (Waves hands exasperatedly like he’s in a movie theatre trying to catch the attention of a friend who snuck in late.) “No more haddock!!!”
Both my order and the next customer’s order were taken and made within the span of about a minute with just enough time for the guy next to me to ask, “you get the haddock?” I nodded. He sighed a small sigh of defeat, or maybe resignation, and looked down at his shoes. “Looks like that was the last piece haddock,” he said, and we both stood there awkwardly until a gleaming box of fish and chips was slid across the counter. I trailed past the clatter of the fish and chips shop and towards the outer perimeter of the market. Everything was quieter here as the lunch and dinner stands were replaced by small booths of pastries. I managed to find a small stand run by the “Free From Bakehouse” that sold allergen free sweets, and snagged a slice of Victoria Sponge and Passion Fruit Cheesecake. Oh my, that Victoria Sponge did not disappoint. I don’t think I’ve ever had gluten-free cake that’s as light as that was. The fish and chips were pretty miraculous too even though I forgot to order tartar sauce. Overall, the food that I got at Burough Market was probably the best that I had on the trip. Even though I didn’t get to branch out into different cuisines, I was happy to have found some British classics that accommodated my dietary restrictions.
Final Score
Watermelon Juice: 10/10
Fish and Chips: 8/10
Mushy Peas: indifferent
Victoria Sponge: 12/10
Passion Fruit Cheesecake: 9/10
Back again soon,
Kath
Theatre in London U of A 