Experiencing Brick Lane

Brick Lane is one of my favourite books of all time. The film isn’t too bad either. Both made me cry.

There’s a scene in the film where Nazneen enters the Bangladeshi shopping area on Brick Lane, and you see swaths of coloured cloth draped from a shop next to a couple of restaurants that serve real fresh Bangladeshi. So it came to be that I did not envy her life, not even the teeniest tiniest bit, but for one thing. I wished I, too, lived near Brick Lane. I would love to be near those colours and those smells and those flavours!

So I was a little surprised when my housemates recently informed me that we live not too far from Brick Lane. A single bus ride. Even better, a 45-minute walk! How could I have lived in such proximity to a place that has captured my imagination, and never been there?

So they offered to take me on Saturday. And Saturday was indeed a dream come true. As my housemate showed me the Tower Bridge and Tower of London, the unique modern architecture of the area, Liverpool Street, and other such major attractions, he must have been rather confused at my insistence that we keep pushing on to Brick Lane.

Saturday was not market day, they had warned me, and yet it still did not disappoint. True, I never found the swaths of bright colours draped above me. But on neighbouring Petticoat Lane we did see rows and rows of shops filled with bright coloured saris and shoes and scarves.

And. I found enough fascinating food joints to keep a foodie like me entertained for the rest of my life. I smelled the spices and the curries as I walked through the Bangladeshi part. Dark-skinned men who are remarkably courageous considering the Londoner’s propsensity for ignoring others, called out to us inviting us to eat in their establishments. We even passed a little joint that boasted having won the “Chef of the Year Award” in 2010.

Then we passed out of the Bangladeshi part into the, for the lack of a better word, hippy part. It was marked by used and antique furniture, enough vintage clothing to fill warehouses upon warehouses, and an even greater variety of food than we’d just passed!

This was where we ate. I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. I had to choose between Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Crepes, Baileys Hot Chocolate, and Irish Coffee. And this is the slow season: apparently in summer the number of stalls doubles! I opted for Sri Lanki: for a fair fee, they gave me a small-ish container and filled it beyond overflowing with deliciousness.

Watch (or read?) Brick Lane and dream of curry. Then go buy some vintage clothing and drink an Irish Coffee. (smiles)

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  • http://beinghappygirl.blogspot.com happygirl

    I’m going to search for it in Netflix. I’d love to read the book, too. Isn’t it wonderful when we find our dreams where we live. :)