What are they queuing for?

In London there are not many things people would willingly queue for for more than 20 minutes. But every Saturday at the Borough Market hundreds of Londoners do - only for two things. We joined them yesterday for both things, and in a chilling wind which made you doubt the temperature officially reported.

Look at the queue that wraps around the street corner. The shop attendant would come out to take orders from people queuing so that preparation could start before the customers proceed to the counter.

 

A sense of anticipation mixed with despair arises when you are at the end of the queue with 30 + people in front of you. But the calm you see in other people in the queue quickly gives you a degree of reassurance that your time waiting would eventually be worthwhile, and so in no time the calm passes onto you which then goes on to lure other people to join you in the ever growing queue. 

Finally. A cup of frothy, ordinary-looking latte despite the feather-like pattern created by the staff by pouring steamed milk into coffee in a cunning way.  People don't queue up for the feather (maybe a little); they do for the coffee itself: their coffees are carefully selected and imported from South America, and every day they roast them in their shops. The result: extremely strong and fragrant latte - we didn't even dare to try their expresso.

Before coffee, we queued at least 30 minutes together with 40 other avid and hungry fans for this Spanish delicacy. The process of making it is quite simple, which merely requires assembling four to five ingredients. 

A Spanish Chorizo sandwich: smoky chorizo halves, roasted red peppers and fresh arugula in slightly grilled bread drizzled with olive oil. In a big bite you get a perfect combination of sweetness from the roasted pepper and saltiness from the sausage, softness of the bread and crunchiness of the arugula. Eating manners are usually forgotten and messiness ensues as the olive oil and juice from the sausage tend to find a way onto your jacket before you are aware. 

A red ox on top of a fresh produce store.