Shooting From The Hip: Genoa 30/10/2010

Rather a less successful lonesome lunch today. The waitresses studiously ignored me (reminding me of that brilliant George S. Kaufman epitaph for a waiter: 'God finally caught his eye'), and, realising I was not a native speaker half-way through ordering pudding, started speaking very loudly and clearly at me ('This cake has PINE-NUTS - do you know what a PINE-NUT is?'). Then, as the figurative faded cherry on my slightly substandard fruit salad, what should come blaring over their speakers but Celine Dion's 'All By Myself'. I couldn't wait to leave.

Still, I suppose it could be worse. At least I didn't have to participate in the sinister sex-game 'Bunga Bunga' with Silvio Berlusconi, unlike 'Ruby', the latest barely-legal beauty to be connected to the president. Shudder.

Shooting From The Hip: Genoa 28/10/2010

How could I do a series of photos from Italy without any food? It is everywhere, from artistically arranged confectionary in the windows of the pasticcerie, to the scent of cooking seeping out through cracks in shutters. Shops (and archives) routinely shut at 12.30 or 1 and open again at 3; no speedy sandwiches wolfed down at desks here. 

The thing is, I'm not always very good at taking advantage of all this bounty when I'm here all by myself. I tend to find a quiet place to perch and eat a little slice of pizza or focaccia, perhaps supplemented with some fruit if I feel I'm in danger of catching scurvy. I don't mind spending time on my own - in fact solitary exploring is one of my favourite things to do - but this has not so far extended to eating out. I have always been foolishly fearful of asking for a table for one.

This lunch, however, was different. Inspired in part by the sweet video below, which seems to be all over the craft blogs at the moment, and in part by the fact that it was just too darn cold to sit outside, I faced my fear, and went into a bustling restaurant. I didn't feel like a loser, no one gave me pitying looks, and I had an unbelievably delicious meal, pictured above. Definitely an experience I would repeat.

Brick Lane

This Sunday, my sweetheart and I took a stroll down Brick Lane. As it so happened, we had inadvertently chosen to come on the day on the annual curry festival, and the street was absolutely hoaching.

There were various modes of transportation...

... and several decorated walls that caught my eye.

Most of all, though, there was FOOD. Not just the aforementioned curry, wafting sweet spice over the crowd, but all manner of other comestibles, from gherkins to goulash, all sizzling in the sunshine.

 

This last exhibit is a deep-fried Hungarian flat-bread with sour cream, cheese and garlic sauce that was one of the most delicious things ever to have passed my lips. I snarfled half of it before I could bear to put it down to photograph it.

It was a superb day.