Southall, sarees and samosas

#southall#sarees#samosas#memories

Had a meeting with Debenhams in the big smoke so I thought I would relive the journey I used to do in my 20s. The short walk along Southall Broadway, right turn onto South Road , past Suman Marriage Bureau , damn forgot to check if it was still there (I have a daughter you know 😍), past Glassy Junction (Punjabi Pub. Never went in there . Wasn’t the done thing for good girls 😉. Too late now as it’s a Indian vegetarian restaurant 🙏🏽, ofcourse it is!!), past the gurdwara, up the bridge to the train station). As a vegetarian I did not register the Shahi Naan Kebab but it would be rude to ignore this Southall icon. News alert – hoarding up advertising Southall Village apartments under bridge. 🤷‍♀️ How times have changed … the young and trendy were quick to get out and now Crossrail may be getting the young back in!

Didn’t recognise one person 😢. At times it used to be the place to be – the platform at Southall Station. It may still be for another generation .Packed like sardines on the 8 something to Paddington I thanked god for the M25. By Ealing Broadway I knew that the girl beside me wasn’t happy with her father in law , the ladies on the other side were feeling sorry for their friend’s 5am start … how does she do it , and how they really needed their coffee. And another girl was babbling away in Tamil I think on her headset. Frankly all of you I don’t care and if you’re going to talk personal shit so close to me at least involve me 🙄. I have opinions too!! I sit down at Ealing and am mesmerised by a pretty girl who has been doing her makeup 💄 since Southall. I am slightly jealous of her youth and confidence. Wonder how long it takes her to take all that off? Must stop staring 😳.

I won’t even bore you with the onward journey and meeting . Anyway it was a beautiful sunny day and my shades were out and I was all ready with black tights and a coat🤦🏽‍♀️. Soon I will dress right for the British weather. Back to Southall and my walk home.

So the most exciting thing is that Frontier (have super exclusive showrooms in India) is coming to Southall. We need another shop selling beautiful clothes. Yes we do!!No really Frontier will be so shiny and sparkly and expensive. We will enjoy looking at the window displays. It will be a magnet for those brides to be. But me I’m going to try an emulate the auntiji who was rocking grey shoes, red socks and a pink saree and with such abundance.

I have never counted the mithai shops, restaurants, jewellers and boutiques. I’m sure they are growing in numbers 🤔. Each doorway signposting money transfer opportunities.The pavement pushing more food at you ; the corn, the chat, the hot hot jalebis and the freshly fried healthy low calorie samosas and pakoras (but only when I eat them). I bemoan the mangoes that are long gone and the stall holders look for new ideas as Diwali approaches. Every idea 💡 has a home here. It’s cruel , just cruel to have all this food alongside windows with sarees and chote chote (short showcasing midriffs) blouses . The two things are not compatible. Let’s campaign for longer blouses 👍🏽.

I can’t make out and I’m too polite 😉 to stop and listen to the many languages buzzing around – it makes your head spin but in a nice way.

Southall rocks 👊🏾 … no seriously it does. If it’s not cars blasting the music (correlation of young driver and flash wheels) , it’s the shops trying to outdo each other with the latest Bhangra tracks.

And to further back this notion I notice an Afghan bakery as I leave the mandir (Hindu temple). Yes yours truly popped in on the start of Navratri.

Now where else would you get all this free entertainment in a short walk.

🙏🏽