London Bridged: People and Food!

Despite the copy of Time Out London that was so graciously lent me, I decided, perhaps due to the lack of friendly banter and food that hadn't been pasteurized to within an inch of its life on my long sixteen hour flight to London, that the best way to encounter the city would be through its people and its cuisine, period.

In this sense, I have been blessed in the person of Dianne Fairman, our gracious host and proprietor of the B&B (Bed & Breakfast) my friend Hanniel and I are staying in, and Chris' Fish and Chips, a delightful old-fashioned fish and chips joint along Turnham Green Terrace, a little off Chiswick High Road.

Dianne Fairman is the proud mother of three grown children (a boy and two girls; her son directs shows for the BBC on an intermittent basis, while her two daughters are actresses who've met with some success in television) of Polish descent who operates the B&B at 34 Riverside Grove, Strand on the Green, London. In addition to ensuring that the rooms she lets out are immaculate, she maintains a beautiful garden at the back, and tells the most delightful stories about her adoptive city. A loyal football fan, she was quite disappointed with the FA Cup Final which Chelsea won, 1-0, over Manchester United. Other than the dreadfully dull pace at which majority of the match was played, she was outraged that the five sublime seconds of inspired football which allowed Chelsea striker Drogba to nudge a floater past United keeper van der Saar happened when she was walking her friend's dog, Misty. Her outrage typifies the best of British "unflappability": humorous and adroitly self-remonstrative.

It was Dianne who recommended, before the various pubs had permanently altered my perception of what a "proper fish and chips meal is", that I head on down Chris' Fish and Chips. Her recommendation was spot on: the fish was hot and flavorful, as were the chips. It was, without a doubt, the finest fish and chips meal that I've ever had, which isn't saying much, but I really don't care at this point.

People and food: that's how you introduce yourself to the joys of a city. The next item on my list? Ale!