And the city of London prepares for a visit from an American. 5/31/2019

Greetings from London where there are meetings to “prepare material against the ‘Pussy Grabbing One;” this poster announcing a meeting in Brixton, a neighborhood in South London.

A few missing items from the previous day or two, and then some comments about what we’re hearing about “T’s” visit and British and Swiss comments about the recent European elections.

For those who were interested in our meal at Rovi, the new Ottolenghi restaurant, we had: Pickles and fermented vegetables with duck pastrami; Burrata with raw zucchinis, and lime and basil; Tempura stems with a lime leaf vinegar dipping sauce (beyond yummy); An asparagus dish (some kind of butter and jalapeno); Beef carpaccio (melted in your mouth) with Jerusalem artichoke and a dollop of what I think was a very soft goat cheese; Celeriac shawarma; Grill of chicken parts including heart, liver, etc.; And for dessert we had a chocolate fondant that came with chili and I think crème fraiche ice scream, and also tiny rhubarb donuts with vanilla cream.

You asked… so now you know.

Regarding the European elections… people are worried; they were surprised by LePen’s rise, but the Greens were the success story; people want change (ooops where did I hear that one); center left and center right parties lost ground. And people continue to be shocked at Trump – what he stands for; what he’s doing to the country; how little respect US has in the world, today.

So today we strolled through Spitalfield Market. While there has been a market on that site for about 300 years, it has undergone many transformations. The original Victorian buildings and the market hall and roof have been restored and Spitalfields is a popular destination for food, crafts, and restaurants. Apparently in the 1990s there was some kind of dispute between the City of London Corporation (owners) and local residents about the redevelopment of the 80 year old; the city won, and now a large office block surrounds that side of the site. And then headed to meet Emma and Hem and Finn at a ne restaurant called Oklava, which I highly recommend.. Very tiny. Probably only fits about 30 people inside, but they have outside stools that meet up with the windows and people are eating there as well and being served from the inside window. Today was a beautiful day so the restaurant was hopping – inside and out.

It’s Turkish and like all of these new places it’s small plates and sharing.. After a rather strong Turkish Bloody Mary, we moved on to the serious task of eating (Hope I remember):

• Spiced bread with Mejdool date butter (disappeared at our table in seconds)
• Buttered Pide (sort of a flatbread), with runny egg, ricotta, some greens, and fresh peas
• Chili Roast Cauliflower, with red onion, parsley and I think pistachios
• Aubergine with cooked tomatoes and peppers, and spices.,.
• Kebab with lamb, lemon, and some other things
• Chicken thighs in spices
• Topped off with some obscenely amazing dessert…

Following that meal and staring at the baby, a lot, we strolled back to the hotel. Dinner tonight (Oh No… more food,..) is at Bright near Broadway Market. We bid farewell to Emma, Hem, and Finn and head to Finland to see friends in Helsinki tomorrow.. We return to the states on Wednesday.