Learning to lunch in London

Since my freshman year of college, one critical aspect of my daily life has shaped each semester: lunch time.

As I planned my classes, I didn’t think of what would be the best time to take a certain class or if I should take it with a certain professor.

Instead, I thought about how long I would have to eat lunch and if I would have enough time to grab a bite to eat before or after.

Naturally, when thinking about studying abroad in London this summer, my biggest worry is not if the swine flu will spread to my flat. Instead, I ask myself, “What will I eat for lunch every day?”

During my program’s orientation, we were shown the typical meal a Londoner eats. This was when my panic set in.

All I thought about during the rest of the session were “What color was that?” and “How do I eat that?”

Don’t get me wrong, from time to time, I like to be adventurous and eat something from Fourth Street, but I always do this with great hesitation.

A couple Internet searches for English food turns out fish and chips, black pudding and dishes such as toad-in-the-hole.

At first, I thought black pudding would be fun to eat because I figured it had to be some kind of dark chocolate concoction.

Upon further research, I discovered there was no chocolate in this pudding. Instead, it is made of dried pig’s blood and fat.

Where are the tea and scones? Those are things I can handle.

The only hope that I have for not staving to death while on this trip is Indian food. Oddly enough, London is known for its excellent and decently priced Indian cuisine.

Although I am no expert when it comes to Indian food, I have a strong feeling that I can stomach up curry better than black pudding.

Getting over the names and what is in the food is one hurdle I have to face. The next one is learning to stretch my pound (the currency used in Britain).

Unfortunately, the pound is worth more than the dollar. Give or take a few cents, $1.50 is about 1 pound.

Not only will I be picky about the food they are serving, but I will also have to keep a close, frugal eye on each menu.

For example, chicken curry can be priced at about 6.45 pounds, which translates to about $9.67. And this is only dinner.

But as my trip nears, I have to remember that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Sure, I will have to brave a new world full of foods that I don’t understand completely, but I might as well have fun doing it.