British tradition

We went for a tour of the St Thomas's maternity ward tonight (we had booked a babysitter for A).

Visiting somewhere where you know you will shortly endure several hours of pain is not a great experience, no matter how lovely the hospital.

So afterwards, B had wisely planned a surprise for S: a 'flight', as they call it, on the London Eye.

It was a cold, clear night and the views were just astonishing.

We then decided to indulge in an old-fashioned British tradition.

We went to a very typical restaurant near Waterloo, and kicked off with the obligatory heap of popadoms served with 4 little silver dishes: a mound of raw onion with coriander; radioactively green yoghurt; mango chutney; and some dangerous scalding-hot chilli chutney, all washed down with a glass of delicious draught Kingfisher.... followed by fish curry with raita (S) and lamb (B), all while listening to the Bollywood soundtrack.

The waiter laughed at B .... 'Normally, it is the ladies who are having the peshwari naan, sir.' There goes his tip.

Anyway, it is very strange, but for some reason eating curry always makes B and S feel really happy.

We are not the only ones - chicken tikka masala is famously now the No 1 most-eaten dish in England.

Personally we think there's something the English find tremendously attractive about Indian culture..... some quality which we secretly fear we are lacking within ourselves......

It's just so......










........ spicy.