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Friday, March 21, 2014

Borough Market Fiction

I've been taking a creative writing class since January and our assignment for class this week was to write about Borough Market in London. We were asked to describe a character who was trying a food there for the first time. This is what I came up with...
 
Last Sunday morning I found myself wandering through Borough Market alone, past vendors and stalls filled with treats and dishes from varying cultures and traditions. I made my way past flowers and fresh vegetables and fought back the temptation to take out my wallet and buy everything that I saw. It was a beautiful day for the market and I was happy to have escaped my small, dorm room and the glow of my computer screen. As I wound through the pathways, my eyes darted from stall to stall and I cringed through the crowd as people pushed by with bags and stopped to take touristy pictures. The smell of Pad Thai and freshly baked bread caressed my nose each and every time I inhaled. I walked through the Scottish section of the market and stealthily slunk past the man offering free samples of Haggis so that I wouldn’t have to politely turn him down. As I rounded the corner and briefly contemplated leaving to escape the madness of the market, my eyes rested upon a stall selling fudge. I made my way towards their display and right away I was offered a free sample by the Italian man working behind the counter. It was toffee flavored and I pinched the small, crumbly block of it between my thumb and pointer finger and cupped my other hand underneath to ensure its safety if I let it slip between my fingers. I successfully delivered the tiny morsel into my mouth and right away the sweetness danced around my tongue as the fudge slowly dissolved into a creamy puddle and slid smoothly down my throat. I pulled out my wallet that I had been using all of my will power to keep from using, and I handed the man three pounds for a slice of salted caramel fudge. I watched him rip a piece of wax paper off of the roll and slide it over the slice of fudge closest to me. He slipped it into a brown paper bag and handed it to me in one fluid motion. I smiled and thanked him and turned to make my way out of the market. I impatiently rode the tube back and walked the familiar route to my dorm, holding the bag in my hand and awaiting the moment I’d be able to open it up and unleash the heaven inside. I keyed into my room and sat on my bed, with a beautiful view of the London skyline right there to keep me company. I removed the fudge from the bag and broke off a piece while the crumbs fell to my lap. I closed my eyes and took a bite and it was as if I was standing there in Borough Market again, trying the fudge for the first time.

xx Sheila


1 comment:

  1. I used to love to buy Sonny's fudge at the Dutchess County Fair. One time I had bought some and was down to my last piece. I was working in Fishkill at the time which was a 45 minute drive. One very hectic day at work I dreamed of getting home to that last piece of fudge. It's all I thought about driving home. As soon as I opened the door I went straight for it. It was gone. Gone??? NO WAY!!! Yes, unfortunately, Uncle Vic decided he needed something sweet. His life was threatened and he has promised never to do that again!

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