gorge-fest 5000 at Borough Market

London has seen a dramatic increase in favo(u)r in the past 12 hours. last nite, i saw none other than the ethereal, marvelous, unparalleled talent that is Ms. Joanna Newsom. i swooned, i sang, i grinned goofily to myself, i bobbed along to the harp beat in my velvet chair. it was wonderful. Serendipity rang again as I was walking thru the entrance and ran into one of the 27 people in my Master's program. what a small world of newsom lovers it is!!

(photo courtesy of the telegraph)

Truly, her sea-gull caw and her milky sweet mews soared in the massive Royal Albert Hall like nothing i've ever experienced. What a venue. What a voice. What a harpist. What a night. And my smoked salmon & cream cheese sandwich & accompanying glass of rose at intermission was delicious, too.

This morning, I sprang over to the London Bridge for Borough Market. Meg met up with me and we indulged in foodie passions the likes of which I have never indulged in -- all at once, that is, like I did to-day. I'm guessing there were around 100 stalls, clustered all around the archway under the railroad, and next to a beautiful, soaring Southwark Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral in London, under whose impressive spires we shared a carrot-cake cupcake with magical EDIBLE GLITTER on the frosting. Amazing. i want some edible glitter of my own. to have and to hold forever and ever. the pastry chef told me when she first bought it for the cupcakes, she was putting the glitter on everything: cereal, curry dishes, everything.

Then, back to the stalls. I bought fresh figs, peaches, tofu, and baklava to start with. Every stall has samples, so you could conceivably go to Borough Market, not spend a penny (sorry, pence) and walk away full. Walk away full we did, but not until we bought some gorgeous fresh, locally-made food. We split a brie & leek quiche, had about a thousand mini samples of cheese, I bought a half-bottle of red wine (the "single's bottle," I call it, as I am sadly writing this blog all by my lonesome on a cold Saturday night), some fresh baguette, membrillo quince paste & manchego cheese (both of which I fell in love with while working at a Spanish restaurant in Phoenix) to take home and re-create a favorite tapas dish, and a slice of banana cake.

MMMmmmm...I could have bought even more. There was every kind of food from England to France to Spain to the Middle East and back again. Teas, cheeses, baked goods, freshly-baked breads, fresh, local fruits & veggies, meats (terrifyingly, I walked by a group of hanging rabbits, with the fur still attached and everything...a very unfriendly sight to this vegetarian), and the brownies, my god THE BROWNIES. Look at this pile!!! :

I walked away with a heavier tummy and a happier heart. So, Borough Market delivered. Thank you. You are DELICIOUS, and my new weekly Saturday routine.

Below: Meg biting into our quiche. That's the face of happiness, people.