Hello from London – South Asian Discoveries
in Southall
Our last day in London had arrived. After our serene and peaceful
early-morning
kayak tour on Regent’s Canal we freshened up quickly,
grabbed a bite to eat and got ready for our final adventure in London:
a guided tour of Southall, one of London’s many fascinating
ethnic neighbourhoods.
Beautiful dresses at reasonable prices
Punctually at 11 am our personal tour guide,
Anne Mark, picked us up and whisked us onto one of the modern
double-decker buses that form the backbone of London’s above-ground
public transit system. Donning a colourful Shalwar Kameez (a traditional
Indian dress), Anne was perfectly dressed for our excusion to Southall,
often referred to as “Little India”, a suburb with a
population of about 90,000 people on the western end of London.
Anne Mark, our cosmopolitan Blue Badge tour guide
Southall is also the location of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara,
the largest Sikh Temple outside of India, an impressive white marble
and granite building with stained glass windows and a gilded dome.
More than 54% of the population hails from India, while another
11% have come from Pakistan. These immigrants have brought the sights,
sounds, smells and tastes of their homelands with them, and we were
ready to sample a slice of South Asia on the west side of London.
A great place for fashion shopping
While we were riding on the bus, enjoying a great view from the
upper deck, Anne gave us a bit of an idea of her own eclectic background.
Anne founded a company called Marksman
Tours that provides personal sightseeing tours in London as
well as throughout England and the UK. Anne is an official Blue
Badge Guide, a prestigious designation that is awarded by the Institute
of Tourist Guiding. The training for London Blue Badge Guides takes
on average eighteen months and includes an extensive curriculum
of the history, architecture and the social development of the country.
Street scene in Southall
Anne is an interesting story herself. She had always loved math,
and after completing a degree in economics, she became a successful
investment banker. After many years in that career she became a
Museum Finance Director before finally deciding to become a full-time
freelance tour guide. Today Anne Mark is certified to provide tours
in five languages: English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish. She
also speaks some Portuguese having lived in Brazil. Given my love
for foreign cultures and languages, it was a pleasure to meet this
cosmopolitan individual with this beautiful openness to the world.
Affordable clothing
As a matter of fact, Anne had just recently travelled to India herself,
and the striking Indian dress she was wearing was a purchase from
her recent trip. We were obviously dealing with someone who has
a great deal of respect and admiration for South Asian culture,
so Anne was the perfect expert to show us around Southall.
Colourful foot fashion
After riding on two double-decker buses we had finally reached
our destination and hopped off on High Street in Southall. The bright
colours of the South Asian stores immediately jumped at us, and
we started slowly walking down the main street. The first store
we stopped at was called Chhappan Bhog, a South Asian pastry store.
The young lady behind the counter kindly showed me the entire assortment
of sweet pastries that was on display in the glass case.
Great customer service at Chhappan Bhog
She explained some of the main ingredients in these sweets which
include, for instance, chick pea flour, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios
and lentil flour. One section of the pastries was exclusively composed
of milk products. Other non-sweet choices included samosas (stuffed
pastries) and batatas (potato balls).
Metallic-coloured desserts
Our culinary excursion into South Asia continued when Anne introduced
us to one of her favourite drinks: a “salty lassi”.
With a twinkle in her eye she clarified that we were not talking
about a dog here, but that we were about to taste a refreshing salty
drink made from yoghurt. Our friendly salesperson proceeded to blend
yoghurt and salt in a mixer. Ice can be added to the mix if there
is a preference for a really cold drink. Anne explained that a lassi
is a great drink to accompany spicy Indian food since it provides
a soothing counterbalance to the powerful spices used in South Asian
cuisine. Another popular version of this drink is the mango-flavoured
lassi which I was planning to explore a little later.
Beautiful scarves at great prices
Back on the road we checked one colourful store after another and
admired the delicate jewellery, the colourful scarves and the large
assortment of South Asian music CDs and Bollywood movies. The more
we kept walking the more our cultural explorations of Southall turned
into a giddy girls’ shopping spree. I picked up some gorgeous
pashmina scarves and custom jewellery, all at extremely reasonable
prices.
Fashion jewellery galore
Attracted by the smell of freshly steamed corn, we stopped a street
vendor for Magic Corn. Said, the young and very friendly street
vendor, mentioned that steamed corn is a popular street food here.
Customers can add a variety of flavours such as Mexican chili, curry,
cheese, barbecue flavour, or black pepper to their corn while butter
is optional. We enjoyed the friendly conversations with the locals
who appeared to have a great time talking with the tourists.
Said tells us about the benefits of corn
Our next stop was at an upscale clothing store called Sequinze.
Sima, the store-owner’s niece, took us on a tour of the store
and demonstrated the ready-to-wear collections. The store carries
four different lines, including made-to-measure bridalwear. It features
a large variety of traditional, contemporary and modern designs
that looked absolutely gorgeous on their displays.
Sequinze features high-end fashion
Sima explained that bridal wear takes about 14 weeks to make, and
evening wear is also made to measure. The fine materials include
raw silk and chiffon, and colours range from bright jewel tones
to muted palettes. Sima indicated that most of the garments are
designed locally by her manager, and the most delicate ones feature
Swarovski crystals.
Andrea tries on an Indian dress
Back downstairs I had a chance to talk with the owner, who originally
hails from India but has been living in Southall since 1969 after
arriving in England two years earlier. Gernal took me through the
store and showed me an extensive assortment of fabrics that are
available for custom-designed garments.
Gernal, the owner of Sequinze
Brilliantly coloured fabrics from Japan, Korea, India and Pakistan
were on display throughout the main floor, and Gernal explained
that he travels to these far-away destinations several times a year
to select the newest fashion in fabrics. When he asked me where
I was from, I responded that I have been living in Toronto for many
years. Gernal’s eyes brightened up, and he said that he has
a brother who lives in a suburb of Toronto and is involved in the
fashion industry as well. What a small world we live in…
Brilliantly coloured fabrics at Sequinze
Now it was solidly mid-afternoon, and it was definitely time for
lunch. We headed into a small local eatery where Anne
took over the reigns and ordered an assortment of Indian snack foods.
The so-called “channa chat” dish included chick peas
and potatoes on a base of yoghurt and herbs. Another dish featured
long stringy dry noodles made from lentil flour intermixed with
popped rice. We also received a “bhel poori” salad,
a cooling dish made with cucumbers. Now I finally got to taste my
mango-flavoured lassi which was absolutely delicious and a great
counterpoint to our spicy food.
Our tasty Indian lunch
Anne added that in Southall you can taste a wide variety of cuisines
from different parts of India. Popular main dishes include curries,
lamb kebabs, chicken tikka masala and butter chicken. At a cost
of only 13 British Pounds, our assortment of Indian snack foods
satiated our hunger, exposed us to a variety of Indian delicacies
and was very easy on the pocket book. People often say that London
is very expensive territory for travelers, but we found great shopping
and culinary opportunities in Southall that were extremely affordable.
Beautifully embroidered bags
Our last stop on our South Asian excursion was a stop at a local
supermarket where Anne showed us a wide variety of exotic fruits
and vegetables. From guavas, chilies, mangoes, eggplants, melons
and tomatoes to less well known varieties with names such as loquat,
mulli and anar, this place was bustling with locals doing their
shopping. This supermarket is also a great source for teas and spices.
Excotic foods at the local supermarket
Across the street is the Himalaya Palace Movie Theatre, a much-loved
local Art-Deco era landmark built in 1929. The unique Chinese pagoda-style
design of this building makes it a definite landmark in the area.
The Himalaya Palace screens popular Hollywood features as well as
the latest Bollywood movies.
The Himalaya Palace Movie Theatre
Our exotic South Asian excursion in Southall had come to an end,
and we boarded another double-decker bus for our return trip. Anne
and I sat upstairs at the very front, and she provided a running
commentary for me, explaining the different areas of London that
we were driving through. Exploring London with a local expert, particularly
one as colourful and cosmopolitan as Anne Mark, was a definite enhancement
to our trip.
View from the doubledecker bus
Our last evening continued along similar lines, with the intention
of sampling another one of the ethnic eateries that London has to
offer. Since we had to get up very early the next day for our departure,
we decided to eat locally close to our bed and breakfast in the
Holland Park area. We found a quaint little Thai restaurant called
the Cool Monkey where we enjoyed generous portions of flavourful
South East Asian food. Exhausted from a long day of adventures and
from packing our suitcases, we just fell into bed and tried to rest
up for the long journey home.
Three friendly faces at the Cool Monkey restaurant
Over the past three days we had caught a glimpse of so many areas
of London, and I had got a good impression of this city’s
phenomenal diversity. From the downtown banking district to Buckingham
Palace to a boat ride on the River Thames to early morning kayaking
and explorations of different ethnic areas, London has been a great
experience, and I can’t wait to get back and explore even
more facets of this one-of-a-kind metropolis
