He's my guy!

I'm no Iron Chef but there may be hope for me yet!

I went to my new friend Lawrence's apartment in Paddington, he lives in beautiful old building.  I walked in to find he had all four burners cooking something, one for beef stock, one for chicken, two for things that I am still not sure of.  My first job was opening the wine:  Check, that I can handle!  As he was mixing all sorts of things I have never heard of, I was placed on appetizer duties.

He brought out these little things that looked like mini romaine heads but had a little bitter taste to them, when you pealed off each leaf it made a little boat.  I was in charge of mixing together the stuffing for these little boats.  He pulled out jars of olives, capers, black peppercorns, then handed me garlic.  After handling the cloves of garlic, everything was placed in a food processor.  Each ingredient he pulled out, he made me taste so I would understand better, it was great! 

I watched him wrap the Lamb breast in fresh herbs like rosemary as he explained his love for cooking for people.  We finished making the appetizers and he did a quick check on the lamb before we sat down to eat and drink Chianti.  Here are the appetizers:

We spent the next hour sharing our life stories. We debated the importance of sex in relationships, shared heartbreak stories, dating disasters, families, relationship theories, and where we hoped life would take us.  There was truly no topic off limits, it was the kind of discussion you could only have with a relative stranger, someone that doesn't know you well enough to judge you.  We paused conversation only for the explanation of cooking techniques.  As I grated 5 different types of cheese, he explained how different cheeses melt at different temperatures.  Most of it was over my head but I loved how passionate he got when talking about it. 

As the lamb cooked I watched as created the sauce for mac and cheese allowing me to taste it and give my opinion.  He finished the lamb and the Mac and Cheese, only to pull out a blow torch to melt and chrisp the top of the Mac and Cheese.  I must say I loved the idea of lighting food on fire.  It was the best meal I have had here to say the least....It was amazingly good! 

After stuffing our faces and polishing off the bottle of wine it was on to dessert and liquor.  Lawrence recently traveled to Crete and brought home some Rocky, a liquor strong enough to make professional drinkers choke a little.  I poured the shots and he prepared the homemade bread pudding topped with figs.  Although it takes very little to impress me in the kitchen, I was very impressed that he even made the bread from scratch!  It was delicious but he wasn't fully satisfied so he made me pause eating to whip up some custard to top off the bread pudding.  I must say it was worth waiting for.

 

As my new friend poured our 4th shot of Rocky into his fantastic frozen shot glasses (perfect birthday gift everyone..hint hint!) Lawrence said "you do realize we are going to be friends for life now right?'  With that another shot down and a good friend was made!  We immediately cleared the air and made it very known that he was going to be my guy in a completely nonsexual way.  The food and drink were only beat by the great conversation.  I left around 12 to come home to my wonderful pals on skype.  I proceeded to play drinking games with them over the computer.  A little strange being a random head on a table but it made me miss random nights drinking at 370 Fairway Terrace.

 As promised, I got a call today from the Barrister, he made dinner reservations for Tuesday night at 8.  When he asked about my weekend I could hear a smidge of jealousy in his voice when asking questions about my dinner last night and my new friend.  I guess a little jealousy never hurt anyone right?

Finally a day without rain boots!

Today is the first day I wore sunglasses since I left Philly.  I forgot how much I missed being able to hide the bags under my eyes with sunglasses!  It's still bitterly cold but its dry and sunny, a vast improvement over the last week.  Since it is such a rare occurance, I had to leave the room, well that and band practice had begun.  I went out for a couple hours picked up some necessities and a bottle of Chianti for my dinner tonight.  I think I got robbed on the wine but it is one of those days where I refuse to be smarmy so now I just know better for next time. 

While I was out today I noticed a beautiful thing....Valentines Day isn't being shoved down my throat.  I mean it's in stores but not to the extreme that it is back home.   The places that are pushing it are places that make sense like flower shops or chocolate stores.  Yay for the Brits not overwhelming me with thoughts of a holiday I hate (single or in a relationship)! 

I have to run and get ready for my first cooking lesson.  I need to find pants that have some give in them... there is going to be appetizers and dessert!  Thank god I haven't eaten a real meal since I left!  Wish me luck in the kitchen...haha!

Borough Market

As a part of my attempt to make friends and get into a really good Superbowl party I joined an American Expats in London meet up group.  A couple days after joining, I received an email from a guy from Cleveland who has been living in London for a couple years.  He offered me some tips of advice and some must see places.  After exchanging emails for a little and confirming he wasn't a serial killer, facebook style, we met up today at Borough Market.

Despite the rain, the market was filled with people tasting cheeses, drinking alcoholic cider, and buying fresh meat and produce.  The markets here are so much larger than our farmers markets and they let you sample foods, which is always a bonus!  My fellow expat and I walked around tasting cheese I have never heard of and then grabbed these amazing pork sandwhiches...topped with stuffing.  It was kind of like the Wawa gobbler....yum!   I was immediately confused by my new pals accent, I mean we have some strange accents in the US but this was odd, it was half American and half British.  It turns out, he is a British citizen that grew up in the US and then moved back here.  He's a very interesting guy, loves food and cooking, traveling, and if I wasn't in Europe I might even think he's gay the way he talked about his love for fashion and jewlery.  But it is Europe and it isn't weird for a dude to know these things.

Over a couple beers at a nearby pub, it was decided that he was teaching me how to cook.  All the people at home can start laughing now.  While I can boil water with the best of them...I had no idea what he was going to do with all the weird meat he bought.  The guy really knows his food, he even debated buying rabbit, being a big Thumper fan, I don't know if I could go down that road but according to him, it's the tits. 

Tomorrow is my first cooking lesson, I promised I would try to learn to cook the lamb he bought and bring some wine as long as he supplied the crazy booze he brought back from Crete....it should be interesting to say the least. 

So now I have two contacts in my new UK phone, it's a pretty big day...haha!

Let the dating begin!

Although this is the 2nd time the Barrister and I have hung out, you can't really count drunken snuggling as a date....well at least I can't anymore.  But I am counting today as date #1 and to be honest I could totally get used to this.  I met him at 1pm and just got home....it's midnight.  That's over 10 hours with one guy and I didn't want to kill him, I didn't even get annoyed with him...not once.  Considering I have become somewhat of a "one date wonder"  this is surprising.

We met at Oxford Circus on a mission to get me a phone.  It was fairly easy and cheap to get hooked up with a pay as you go phone.  He helped me pick everything out and asked the questions that I was too confused to ask (+2 points).  Then we went in and out of shops, he didn't seem to care the least bit when I spend 30 minutes staring at a pair of pumps I couldn't afford (+1).  After shopping for an hour, he made me stop at Ben's cookies, where he bought me a cookie and we continued window shopping (+1 for the amazing cookie) and searched for a hairdryer.  These things are harder to find than you would think...there is no target or Walmart.  After purchasing my new hairdryer we had lunch....he paid of course...no points given since that is expected! 

After lunch I figured I would head home but he asked if I wanted to spend the rest of the day together and go to the cinema..hahaha so proper.  Seeing as how I have no life, no schedule, and definately no plans, we hopped on the train to his neighborhood to get me some hangers(again not that easy to find!) and hang out at his place until the movie.  We spent the next 3 hours chatting, trying to fake each other's accents, and listening to music, with the occasional snog of course!  It was relaxing and pretty comfortable considering I was with a relative stranger.  This blog was mentioned and he asked if he was included yet, to which I only answered maybe.  I mean I don't want him to know he is the only dude to make it on here yet.  I can't be giving out ego boosts for free.  His only request was that he have a cool code name(+2 points for being ok with me writing about him), I didn't have the heart to say it was simply the "Barrister", especially when he seemed excited to come up with a code name on his own.  I think he believes I will allow something James Bond like.....

We went and saw Up In the Air which was good but slightly depressing.  I gathered my new goodies back at his place and he walked me back to the train.  I declined to spend the night...I'm actually behaving myself....I have no idea why though. 

Overall, it was a very successful first date!  Maybe I'm not half bad at dating when I avoid dating Americans.  I have to admit, I was a sucker for all the door opening, walking on the outside of the street so I don't get splashed, hand holding, basic gentlemen behavior that he displayed (+2 points).

Tomorrow I am headed to an outdoor market with a fellow American that moved here a couple years ago, he has offered to show me around.  Hopefully it will be fun and interesting since I have never been to this part of the city.

FYI:  The Barrister and I are going out to dinner later this weekend or early next week.......Let's see if he makes it past date #2.

The dodgy end

There is always a catch to booking a new life through the internet.  I'm working with a 50/50 record of Internet selections...

Housing Accomodation:  I really couldn't have picked a better area to live.  Having Regent's Park as your backyard and close access to the tube is pretty amazing so far.  I love the shocked reaction people give when hearing this is where I live, its like they are amazed I found a place here, granted they have not seen my room, which reminds me of a bomb shelter, but at least I don't have a roommate yet!  The suitemate situation could be better but I can't complain, they are quite except for practicing their flutes every morning.  They do however think its very strange I don't cook. Yesterday, I was asked, "Why do we never see you in the kitchen?"  HA!  I laughed and told them I don't cook, her only response was "How do you eat, you can't seriously microwave everything?"  Ah but I can.....  Clearly I don't look like I'm starving or anything!    

Internet decision #1:  Great! 

University Selection:  I decided it would be a good idea to check out my campus before classes start.  A 15 minute tube ride later and I was quickly reminded of Philly....not the good part of Philly.  When the Internet lies, it really lies!  I could do nothing but laugh as I strolled through what London Met calls "campus", what they really meant were dirty buildings surrounded by shitty conveinence shops and trash covered streets.  Awesome!  London Met's North Campus makes Drexel or Temple campuses look wonderful in comparison.  I will be returning back to the lovely Regent's Park immediately after class every night......

Oh well, maybe the campus does not reflect the education I'm going to get......I should just be grateful I didn't decide to live closer to school!

Internet decision #2:  Crap!

Snog #1: The Barrister

Barrister= Lawyer

After I woke up from my nap last night, I remembered it was Sunday and the playoffs were on so I googled a place to watch the game, it was actually a lot harder to find somewhere than I thought.  I got up got dressed and headed to Picadilly Circus to try to find the Sports Cafe.  Since I refused to ask for directions, I got lost for about 20 minutes before I ran right into it.

As soon as I walked in I recognized other Americans....Jets fans.....but Americans all the same.  It didn't take long before I started chatting it up with Joe from Brooklyn, not long after that was Joe Brooklyn started expensing all my beers.  The closer it got to game time the more packed it got, there was a line around the block of people waiting to get in.  Americans everywhere, it was great!  By the time the game started, me and Joe were BFFs and had made friends with the other Americans and Brits around us.  Barrister and his buddies, a dude from LA, and a chick from NY were all drinking with us.  It was the first time I talked to people besides saying "please", "thank you", and "I'll have a grande frapaccino"...I was loving it!

With no hope of a Jets comeback...Joe Brooklyn left and LA guy took over buying my drinks, the only person at the bar who had a better buzz than I did, was the chick who feel and cracked her head on the floor during halftime. At some point, I don't know when, LA guy told me to pick between him and the Barrister.  To which I reminded him the of the ring on his finger....apparently like a true scumbag, "that didn't have anything to do with me coming home with him".  I declined.  Before LA guy left he gave me his card and said I should call him for a job in their London office though.

Barrister's friends left and he stayed with me to hang out.  Halfway through the second game I needed to go home which would have been easy except for the fact that I didn't know the tube stops running after 12.  Barrister walked me outside at which point we kissed and he asked if I wanted to spend the night.  I weighed my options, an expensive cab ride home or snuggle with a cute Brit who doesn't seem to pose a threat.  I clearly got in the cab with the Barrister.  He was sweet we kissed, snuggled, and passed out.  This morning we woke up and layed in bed for 2 or 3 hours chatting until he got up and made me coffee.  He asked me to stay and spend the day with him but considering I was looking a hot mess and the hangover was setting in I said I had to get back and do stuff.  I really had nothing to do but I really wanted to go back to bed....so he walked me back to the tube station and showed me how to get home. 

It was a great night, I exchanged emails with a couple people and just felt better about coming here.  A couple of Americans told me that it was normal to feel miserable the first couple weeks and it took them about a month.  So 5 days down and I don't feel like staying in bed all day.....Thank you Sports Cafe and Barrister!!

By the By:  The Barrister and I made plans for Thursday, he's taking me to lunch and helping me pick out a cell phone over here.

Mind the Gap!

I finally mustered up enough balls to attempt the tube all by myself...there couldn't have been more things getting in the way from taking the train.  A shady package was found on the Bakerloo line, the one that I live near so half of the stations were closed.  Every station I was directed to, was closed!  So I started the Jesus walk to Oxford Circus in attempts to go to Covent Garden.  Oxford Circus reminds me of NYC, thousands of people shopping and running each other over just to get two steps further.  Trashy suvenior outlets are mixed in with the mostly nice stores, ya know the ones that sell everything with a British flag on it from soap to thongs...but they were having a sale on fake uggs so I went in.  I successfully bargained with the guy and got a sweet deal on some tall fake uggs.  I was really proud until I realized that I was the one who got screwed...they are terribly uncomfortable I want to burn them.

After a nice Jesus walk, I made it.  I bought an Oyster card and started hopping on trains.  The Brits really did something right with the tube...one comes every two seconds and its color coordinated so even I could figure it out.  First stop Covent Garden, a really cool outdoor market, with tons of booths and little shops and a glorified flea market.  From there I walked to Leicester Square, London's theater area.  Since I barely eat anymore, I forced myself to get lunch somewhere.  I have a huge problem with eating by myself...I feel like I have loser tatooed on my forehead or something.  To ease the anxiety I drank...at least I had something to occupy myself while waiting for food.  By the end of lunch I felt a little buzzed and proud of myself for eating alone so I went to the V & A Museum.  All museums are free so I didn't feel too bad when I left after an hour to take a nap.  Yup, a nap...I'm in a huge new city with new things to do and I spend time napping....oh well, at least I got up before 3pm.

It's the first day I don't feel like jumping right back on a plane to cure the homesickness.....

Somethings are the same.....

Cockblock:  is to prevent another person, intentionally or inadvertently, from having sexual intercourse with a third party. A cockblock or cockblocker is a person who engages in such obstruction or intervention or according to a writer for the New York Press:  "a foul act in which someone interferes with another’s attempt at finding happiness inside someone’s pants."  Or in my case tonight preventing me from befriending anyone at the bar....

I thought this was only an American art form, but alas I was wrong!  Now I cant lie and say I had sealed the deal or anything, I was chatting it up with two really nice english men one who was very good looking and had been to philly a ton of times and loves the city!  The other was a film director and very interesting.  I wasn't planning on doing anything with either but we were right on our way to being good drinking buddies when my cockblock arrived in the form of a chubby, bald, 40 something Turkish man who spit when he talked.  He heard me order a drink and that was it, apparently he is obsessed with Americans (his own words)

He asked questions I answered, he spit on me while talking, I backed away, he asked to take me to lunch and call me, luckily I have no phone.  He did however write his number on a napkin for me to use at a pay phone.  The two nice guys were staring at me, I even gave the "save me" look, but that doesn't translate I guess either that or it was entertaining to them.  The DJ played Beyonce and the Turkish man went wild screaming " I LOOOOVE THIS SONG, Dance with me"   I declined but he did dance around me and behind me until finally I left the bar.

Next time a good boob shirt may not be the way to go....

I Ain't Lost, Just Wandering...

I decided to skip accross the pond after 5 days of sightseeing, drinking, dancing, and more drinking while on vacation with my best friend.  8 months later, I boarded the plane a crying mess.  It's been two days since I left Philly and my friends and family and I can't help wondering if I did the right thing...but that's just cause I have no one to slap me in the face and tell me to shut up.

I don't think "shy" is a word that can ever be used to describe me, yet out of no where I'm soft spoken and timid.  I might need to start carrying a flask around with me to get over my nerves.  That is prabably a tell tale sign of alcoholism, but I can only handle being friendless for so long.  So tonight I am making myself throw on a shirt that makes my boobs look phenominal and head to a bar to hopefully make some friends or at least some good drinking buddies!

Let the whoring for friends begin....