Upmarket

On Sunday, in the sweltering humid heat of upmarket Bricklane Market London, I decided  that my love affair with street trading will certainly soon come to an end.Do not get me wrong ,Street trading has paid the bills, enabled me to meet many interesting people from all walks of life and from every corner of the globe for the past 12 years but right now as a virgin trader at Sunday upmarket, all I can think of is "How have I ended up here"? The food hall at this market is a medley and fusions of  cuisines and of most cultures and peoples of the world so I should feel at home .This is my natural habitat but alas!I did not belong. I am still trying to put my finger on what prompted this change of heart . Top on the list could be the fact that as a former queen bee of Camden and Greenwich markets , I felt humiliated at starting out in another established market where some of the very busy and established stallholders had worked for me or asked me for a job in the past.! On Sunday, I  felt like asking them for a job! It was envious really. The other reason could be the fact that so many young girls were prancing about nearly naked in hot pants that left the cheeks of their buttocks  straining out. Now, I may be in my early forties but believe me,I am very young at heart - my own 22 year old and her friends will attest to this I swear. And unlike the previous point, I am definitely not envious of their cellulite free and firmer thighs! Its just that there is just so much nether flesh on show and ogling Men  not able to concentrate on the menu to order food and make me some sales! I felt like screaming "Does your mother know"? at these girls.
 The last straw happened when at the end of business , one of the established traders  pre-empted that I must not have made any profits because the meat and chicken chunks in my dishes were cut  too big for me to have made any money. In other words, What ever portions I had managed to sell should have been enough to triple my sales. I mumbled thanks without really meaning it. Rule no 1 of market rivalry which all street food traders harbour; give unsolicited patronizing advice to your next big  competition when they are at the bottom for when they are up there with the biggest queue of customers and you go to complain to the market organizers that they are taking all your trade, you can then mention that it is not borne out of jealousy because you had previously advised them on how to increase their trade!
I was out of practise without  knowing it.I had taken two years out to start a family and so have lost my other markets(of which more in later postings.). I had no coriander or chopped fresh tomatoes to continuously garnish my  curries. Eventually most curries sold in any given market resemble the same except the very distinct and I do try to avoid this but had to give in today when I  saw that the two stalls flanking mine looked similar but were distinct menu wise and the green leaves of coriander dancing atop of their stews  gave them a fresh allure. I quickly borrowed a bunch of coriander , chopped it up and garnished and garnished.
Let,s be honest, I would not normally under any circumstance, want to trade at upmarket. It has far too much food on offer.Exactly the reason I left Camden(of which more later postings.) but there is a recession going on and I  have two toddlers to feed! So it was that I left Upmarket on Sunday with the proverbial wiping of the feet knowing come Tuesday when I receive the customary email "upmarket confirmation needed", that I shall not be returning!