This will be a short post, as nothing too exciting has happened over the weekend. The first (and only) "event" of sorts was heading over to The Coronation Hall with Amy and Becca to get food and drinks and watch England fight Wales for the rugby championship. I got a burger and chips. The burger was odd; it didn't really taste like beef and didn't look like it either, so I may or may not have eaten horse. (Granted, it was cheap pub food and might have just been a not-so-great burger. I've had no problems with their other food.) The chips (fries) always come with a sweet, salsa-like side for dipping. That salsa, or whatever it is, is marvelous. If it can be purchased in a grocery store, I'm getting some. It goes well on everything, especially the chips and onion rings. Oh, and speaking of the chips/fries thing: The term "fries" is still used over here. "Chips" are thicker french fries (in the states they'd be called "steak fries"; think Red Robin's fries) and "fries" are the thin ones, like you'd get at McDonald's. So, when ordering fries at McDonald's, you would say "fries" instead of "chips". Learn something new everyday!
The rugby championship was a flop for England. The Red Dragon beat Saint George 30-3. Needless to say, just about everyone in the pub was disappointed. There were three people who supported Wales and they would cheer every time Wales scored. When they did, everyone else in the pub would slowly turn and give them a "look". It was amusing.
After the game was over, me, Becca, and Amy found ourselves craving Mexican food. Our cheap friend Taco Bell doesn't have a home in the area, so we went hunting for Chipotle. Becca looked up locations on her phone and found one in Wimbledon. That is how at 8:00 on a rainy evening, the three of us took a train to Wimbledon and ran around without hoods, hats, or umbrellas looking desperately for a Chipotle. By the time we found it we had haggard hair and wet shoes, but it was 100% worth the effort. The food tasted fantastic and the staff were easily the nicest group of food service staff I've ever met. They struck up conversation with us as we were leaving and asked about our accents. We all talked about the states (what with Chipotle being a U.S. chain) and how we were thrilled to find their store because it tasted like home. They all went "aawww" and looked flattered that they had made us so happy. Because of our exchange with the staff, the three of us each walked away with a "buy one get one free gift card" and a "one free anything" gift card. The staff told us to bring our friends and help them get popular. So here's my part: If you're in the area, go to the Chipotle at 40 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon. It is right near the train station, so there's no excuse for skipping it!
Saint Patrick's Day was a rainy one. I spent mine indoors, for the most part. I ran out to the grocery store when the rain briefly let up, but it was coming down again by the time I got off the bus. Such is English weather. The rest of my day was spent doing homework, recipe hunting (a favorite past time), and reading The Sign of Four.
As I said, this was a short post! My parting words of love are a Saint Patrick's Day song for you:
OK, it's a week later, but I had to tell you that I LOVED the Muppet clip. Just so funny. We had a nice St Paddy's day with Sean & Mina and their high school friends here (with little Liam too: 1 year-old). Mat would have loved watching that rugby game. And what a drenching trip to find Chipotle! And now I'm sure you are looking forward to your visitors next week. =) oxox AL
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