Philobiblon

For the first time in what feels like months, this afternoon there wasn’t an immediate pressing job that I had to do – plenty of things I should do, but nothing that should definitely have been done three hours ago.

So I allowed myself a wander up to Camden market, where, I found, you really can eat – and I suppose buy too, although I very quickly get bored with shopping – just about anything in the world.

But on a brisk winter evening it was the myriad of food stalls – the exotic, fragrant steam rising visibly from them – that really caught the eye, and the nose. There’s no greasy fish and chips here – indeed I didn’t see any chips at all – but a fascinating range of foods from around the world.

I (gluten-avoider that I sadly am now) tried a form of Venezualan fast food that I had never previously encountered (no I haven’t been to Venezuala) – the arepa – cornbread (a recipe here) – seriously yummy stuffed with cheese and shredded beef – so yummy I’ve even been looking into how you can buy the special flour required online. (Or does anyone know of a specialist Latin American grocer in central London?)

There were also Japanese rice balls cooked on what looked like an old-fashioned gem scone iron that I’ve never seen before – and Thai, Malaysia, varying forms of Indian, Ghanaian…

If ony you could transfer this out on to the high streets. Why can’t you, I wonder?