Americans get ice but no free ketchup

Nam's first fish and chips and what does she want to order...salmon cakes.

We found a little slice of fried heaven tucked away in a small shopping strip, across from MACdonalds and joined to a thai dining hall. The cokes were warm. The napkins too thin to wipe our greasy fingers. But the weather was wonderful for an outside meal.


A huge filet of crunchy crispy flaky cod with a mound of peppered chips. We had to purchase ketchup packets for 20p a piece.


Interestingly, and happily, neither the ketchup nor our first UK sodas contained HFCS...just flavour additives, like caffeine.

She tried the malt vinegar, but decided she would prefer a few hush puppies and a side of nice cool cole slaw.

Portobello Market in Notting Hill

More shopping with my foodie Nam.

You've all seen the movie. Though I didn't take any pictures of coloured doors this time.

However I did find some ever green produce.

Some fresh baked breads.

The most delicious sprinkle donuts I have ever seen in my entire life.

Rhubarb tarts in singles.

Large tubs of olives and cheeses.


One stall sold only mangoes


Portobello Rd. Market was doing a special summer programme that emphasized lots of fresh veggies. They would hand out fresh sugar snap peas to passerbys.

Paella for a crowd.


End the walk with market made bruschetta. Fresh ciabatta bread, sliced and grilled on a portable grill, olive oil, ripe red tomatoes and some rocket.

Snacks from Sainsbury's

So Grandnam and I are puttering around England for 10 days. I'm on research for my senior thesis on Jane Austen and Grandnam is my chaperone. We landed on Sunday and have eaten various things on our trip, however we are trying to avoid looking like tourists so the majority of our meals are not photographed. However we've sneaked a few here and there.


So for starters I'm here studying Jane Austen and her relation to food and farming during the Regency era. She was a farm girl and was in charge of making family breakfast every morning. She lived in various locations throughout her life starting on the rectory farm in Steventon, then to fashionable and foodie society of Bath, and lastly in Chawton with her mother and sister in a "small" cottage with a fantastic kitchen garden. She had the Godmersham estate and the Chawton House, her brother's sweet pad, for diversions and luxuries in diet.


More thesis updates to come but for now...our snacks from the local Sainsbury's.