English Food

June 28, 2017

Although my little mini apartment in London has it’s own kitchenette, most of the time I prefer to eat out. The way I look at it, if I’m cooking, I’ll be eating the same kinds of food that I would be having back home, and missing out on everything there is to try here. (Not to mention the only things I can cook well are pasta and microwave dinners). Every once and awhile I’ll make something simple if I’m planning on staying in, but there are so many local restaurants and vendors that I want to try while I’m here! I’ve made it my personal goal to eat local-definitely never at a chain we have in America-and to never go to the same place twice. So far, I’ve been doing pretty well. During my breaks at my internship I’ll walk around West Croydon and stop at the first place that catches my eye. After work and on our days off, a bunch of us will usually meet up to try a new restaurant in the area. Compared to Boston, there are fewer Spanish/Hispanic vendors, although I did find a delicious paella stand in a local market nearby. There are also many more South Asian/Middle Eastern food-this part of London is known for its curry in particular.
As a general rule, the portion sizes here are smaller than in the U.S., but that’s a very relative term-some places give much more food than others. Since my internship and class hours are flexible, I eat pretty much whenever I get the chance, but typically the greatest bulk of food stores open later and close earlier, to my surprise. With so many different food options, I couldn’t possibly pick my favorite, but by far the most interesting was a tiny, cute little restaurant near St. Margaret’s House, the first ever settlement house and the model for the settlement house movement in the U.S. This cafe is completely vegan and made to be accessible and affordable to those living in St. Margaret’s House as well as passerby tourists. The view was beautiful, and the food was fresh and delicious. The cafe was easy to miss from the street, but definitely worth the visit!

Written By

Danielle Dottor

Hi! My name is Danielle Dottor, and I am a double Criminal Justice and Human Services major and a double Cultural Anthropology and Ethnomusicology minor at Northeastern. I've just finished up my first year, and this will be my first Dialogue. I've never actually left the East Coast, nevermind the country, so I'm really excited for this experience! I'm very interested in and passionate about working with children and adults who have experienced trauma and all of the difficulties that can arise from that. In particular, I've worked with domestic violence, sexual assaults, hate crimes, and human trafficking cases. In London I will be working with older youth who are struggling to find, afford, and/or maintain housing, which includes addressing the domestic violence/abuse concerns that may accompany this need. I will also be taking a class called Intercultural Studies through Human Services, which focuses on understanding how the culture, politics, education, and economy of a country affect and inform their social services. Since this will be my first time abroad, I am particularly interested in learning about how London's nonprofit systems and client needs differ from those in the U.S. I plan to use this knowledge to inform and improve the way I work with clients in the nonprofit system back in Boston and beyond.