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Big Bud & Lil Bud do London

How do you explore a new city? Do you:

    A) Research a few weeks in advance and plan a considered itinerary? or
    B) Sort through the top sights on TripAdvisor and check out the ones that appeal? or
    C) Plan your trip around meals based on friends’ advice and Google ratings?

Well Rohan and I had limited time in London so we chose Option C, the winner’s option.

London is amazing for the culinary diversity on offer and we wanted to make the most of it. We had to pack in as much good food as we could – wasting a meal on an “ok” meal was not allowed.

So one day we set off early to begin our foodie adventure –

Breakfast @ Australian café (Granger & Co.)

With a dose of Australiana in our bellies and the twang of Aussie accents from the waitstaff ringing in our ears, we planned a route to our lunch stop. We had time for sightseeing, including a nice bike ride, however this had to fit within the constraint of being in the direction of lunch, because meals really did dictate the day :-P

It was at about this stage that I felt so privileged. Here I am living in this remarkable city where I can choose absolutely whatever I want to do. What food I want, what activities I want to do, what people I want to see… I can do WHATEVER I want. “London has something for everybody” is the common phrase here. 
 
It then got me thinking about the TV show ‘Master of None’. For those of you who haven’t seen it (you should!), the show loosely follows the life of Aziz Ansari who is a 30-something year old, well-known celebrity, single and living in New York. He can do whatever he wants with his life, and he chooses food.

He’s so obsessed with food he goes on adventures with his slightly larger friend, affectionately calling themselves "Big Bug and Lil Bud", too cute. And on this particular day, Rohan and I were the cute foodie couple.

Lunch @ Italian pasta house (Padella)

In some respects, Aziz represents our generation pretty accurately. We live in a time when we’re so privileged that we have the ability to see/do almost whatever it is we desire. However, ironically, we also live in a time when we’re so obsessed with talking/photographing/sharing anything food-related, which is such a base level desire. MasterChef, #instafood, Snapchats of meals, ridiculously popular/expensive restaurants – was there ever this great an interest in food?

I’m interested in this trend because I find it crowds out a lot of attention paid to other stuff. E.g. when you’re at a party you’re more likely to talk about the hip restaurant you went to last weekend rather than current famine in Yemen. (Sorry if I’m being preachy, not trying to be!) 

Sarangan has been challenging me on this point, so I decided to do a Google Trend comparison. Please note that the term “food” has increased in popularity by 30% in the last three years, whereas the other two ‘popular’ topics haven’t increased at all. Empirical evidence, take that Sarangan!

Maybe it’s my upbringing, but I’m sure my parents would never think to plan a day around food, that would be too indulgent – they’d simply eat whatever’s available and keep moving. In any case, this is what I’m doing now – living the good life – living the Aziz Ansari life?!

Dinner @ Japanese ramen place (Shoryu)

Yes, maybe I am becoming Aziz! I’m living in one of the greatest cities in the world, with anything that I could possibly desire available on tap. Any European destination, a stone’s throw away; any selection of international cuisine, just around the corner; a limitless pool of girls to date, Tinder away my friend… I could go on. OPTIONS. OPTIONS. OPTIONS. It’s all here.

Drake, a true sage of our times, said it best when he said: “what a time to be alive”.

Logic would tell us that living in London and having access to all these options is amazing, a sign of real human advancement. My parents certainly tell me that! And I agree for the most part. But I’m also reminded of the ‘paradox of choice’ and that maybe it’s not all that it’s hyped up to be. Read this Wikipedia article if you’re interested to learn more.

Will the limitless options make me happy? Sure, probably. But let me try it out first-hand and report back to you.

In the meantime, please enjoy this video of Big Bud & Lil Bud representing current levels of human advancement in all its foodie glory:


Next post hittin’ yo box in two weeks… not sure what it’ll be about as yet. Suggestions welcome!

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