The fourth largest foreign cultural group in the UK and its planning repercussions

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Now imagine this in St James' Park

Today I learned that I belong to the fourth largest foreign cultural group in the UK, behind my fellow citizens from Pakistan, Poland and the Hispanics (which I presume are from South America and Spain). That of course means that the local councils should treat me like the ethnic minority that I am and allow some leeway for my cultural preferences. That’s the same argument that the Irish Travellers use for their retrospective planning permission requests, so that should apply to me as well.

Hence I am planning the building of a 30 feet tall Black Forest Cuckoo Clock in St James’s Park, complete with a stage for an umpah band, a life sized cuckoo that will eminate every thirty minutes from its flat in third story of the cuckoo clock tower and yodel (amplified by a 1000 Watt sound system) over the lush park area. After finishing it I will move in and expect the council to grant retrospective planning permission, as this is traditional for my culture, and I belong to the fourth largest in the country. Now that’s some muscle.

Holladiho!

The Dangers of Biking in the Capital

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This poignant memorial has been standing at the corner of Mile End Road / Burdett Road in the East End since I can remember and -unusually – has never defaced or removed. It reminds daily of the dangers of riding a push bike in London, and while things are slowly getting better (thanks to a mayor who rides a bike himself), there were still 19 dead and 2400 injured cyclists in 2009.

Be careful out there.

St Clements Hospital

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There are few spookier things than an old, abandoned psychiatric hospital. How many tortured souls must have been living in the confines of this old Victorian workhouse that was transformed into a psychiatric hospital in 1936. On Mile End Road in the East End of London, you can still marvel at its faded architecture and wonder what the security men who are guarding the place at night must be thinking.

Oh yes, and it’s going to  be converted into a block of flats.

 

 

 

 

Spooky.

Split Red Lentil Dal with Lamb and Tomatoes

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This weekend the best girlfriend ever was away gallivanting around the continent so I thought I’d get out one of my favourite cookbooks – the amazing The practical Encyclopedia of Indian Cooking by Shezhad Husain and Rafi Fernandez – to get inspiration for a curry. I still had some lamb strips in the freezer, so lamb it was.

I first heated some nice Kalamata Olive oil in a deep pan and fried for 5 minutes a bay leaf, 3 cloves, 6 black peppercorns and a chopped onion. I then added the sliced lamb strips, and a tablespoon each of turmeric, hot chili powder crushed coriander seeds and stir fried the whole mix until the lamb was nice and brown.

I then added 2 pints of water, brought the whole thing to a simmer and left it until the water was almost evaporated and again stirfried the whole shebang for another 2-3 minutes.

Simmering Away

Almost completely reduced

In the meantime I cooked ca 50g of red split lentils in a pint of water and when nice and soft added them to the reduced lamb mix and on top added 2 sliced tomatoes and 2 sliced green chilies. Stir and serve!

With Lentils, tomatoes and chillies

et voila!

See, that wasn’t too hard, wasn’t it?