Voila, la deuxième tentative.

so I’m blogging about food. again. might as well-lah.

So here’s today’s story (we’ll get to the food part, don’t worry).

Was tired at work, and decided to leave early. Felt guilty about it. because well, had been tired, felt sorta stuck, and didn’t feel like I’d done as much work as I should’ve (I hadn’t). But anyways, was pleasantly surprised when le bozz said ‘Go home, you deserve it’ when I told him I’d hit the fatigue wall and was going to have to call it a day. And then he congratulated me on my ’successful launch’ and said that I’d had a ’successful week’. Not sure if I truly deserved all of that, but hey, I’ll take it. (I had the London-wide launch of my project happen on Monday. SO MUCH FOLLOW UP TO DO NOW!!!!) but anyways….so something interesting happened to me at work today (apart from the gemuk charboh yang biasanya blergh being v v nice, hey?! again, not complaining!). I leaned over the shredder to open a drawer…..and part of my pareo (which I was wearing draped around my shoulders/neck like a scarf) got scarfed down by the darn shredder machine. That was quite scary. Luckily, quick reflexes saved the day, and now I have a sort of super unique pareo to call mine. heh.

Anyways, so left work early. Here’s the fun part leading up to my food story. I took 4!!!!! buses to get home. Coz I pandai-pandai thought i’d forgo the tube, and take the bus. Just for kicks. do something different on a Friday. WHILE LUGGING 2000 FREEPOST ENVELOPES (that I’m bringing to my other workplace, the cinema, tomorrow, for distribution - linking up both my jobs here, wahey!). Smart I am not. tired and yes, hungry, I was.

So I took bus #1. Changed at Shoreditch. took bus #2. got off at the stop leading to what is fast becoming my favourite Vietnamese resto. Supacheap, and supayummy, and SUPER FRESH. £4 for a bowl of pho. with slices of beef that OMG make your mouth water and your stomach purr (if stomachs purred, mine would!). But because I’d left work early, they WEREN’T OPEN YET. brilliant.

Lug myself and my 2000 envelopes back to the bus stop. waited FOREVER for the bus#3 that should’ve brought me right back to my doorstep. but IT NEVER CAME. so I took another bus that kinda went in the right direction but then I’ve have to switch on to another one to change direction that would drop me in front of my abode. So I took bus #3 that was sort of in the right/wrong direction.

And so, there’s been this Carribean take-away food place near where those two bus stops intersect (between directions)…and I’d always wanted to try it…but just never got to, because usually when I caught sight of it (and the long queues inside — long queues must mean the food tastes good right?!) I was usually IN A BUS. today was the first time I’d actually have to walk by the place (because I usually don’t change directions after I’ve hopped on one bus, but today’s circumstance necessitated that). So I stepped in. Only non-black person there. Funnily, it didn’t feel odd at all.

I asked the lady over the counter for the oxtail meal (so hard to go wrong with oxtail, I’d weep for the poor oxen if I ever had an oxtail dish that tasted bad for its death would’ve been for naught!)…and told her it was my first time in here…she beamed a smile so big it surprised me. And I learnt that what ‘we’ call herring, are called ’sprats’ by dem Jamaicans. and damn, are sprats awesomely yummy.

So here I am. sitting in front of mibook (I know, pathetic that I use the computer screen for entertainment while eating solo, but I like! today! so it’s fine!) typing away after having polished off the most delicious rice and beans and gravy and OXTAIL meal…..+ some onions and sprats (still have half of the portion left, go me. learning. slowly. to curb excessive behaviour. like needing to guzzle down whole portions of food. sometimes. not at all the times).

Anyways, one last thing to share — so I got an assortment of juices from Marks & Spencer yesterday (lugging juice ain’t fun either lemme tell y’all!) (they were 3 for £5, a good deal, so that’s why I couldn’t resist). and the Pomegranate & Raspberry juice is the brightest/deepest, most gorgeous shade of red I’ve seen in a long long time. Add to the fact that it’s liquid…omg, it’s beautiful.

Ok. well that’s all for now.

A little nothing on a Friday evening about food. and a long journey home.

love to everyone,

~m. xoxox

ps: for own self and posterity’s sake: had dinner last night with 2 of my oldest (almost first, perhaps!) friends from college. And their significant others (my current significant other is my reflection — have said goodbye to the three-letter-word for good. I think. it took a long time to happen. but I think, by jove, (by jeeves? by jolly? by holy mother of god, mary queen of my heart?) it’s happened and I’m none the worse off for it). Anyways, last night was a.good.night. 

tonight, however, I’m tired. well fed, but tired. Thankful, but tired.

Looking forward to tomorrow. xoxoxox