Borough Market- The Oldest Market in London

When I first came to London I lived back in October 2008, I lived in Southwark at the St. Christopher's Hostel. Just 2 blocks down was the fun, eclectic and energetic Borough Market, which made it bearable to live in the loud hostel. It also helped me make up my mind where I was going to root myself in this great big daunting uknown city. I loved and still love going there on Saturday mornings just with a spirit of adventure trying to new foods,like Ostrich burgers or cassoulett. It's a favorite of Londoners on Saturday mornings. You can have hot apple cider from England's best Apple Farms. There are hundreds of vendors there selling everything from tortellini, truffle oil, to the most authentic Indian masala tea( you must shake your head back and forth). You may also just buy exotic fruits and veggies. I didn't think London would have exotic fruits and vegetables, but they do, some I have never tried. You can also sample Basque ham, foie gras, goose fat, confit, bouillabaisse, regional wines, chorizo, Arabic spices for a true Morroccan cous cous, Somerset jams, organic cheese, and tempting tantalizing artisanal bread. It's a Foodies heaven ! (Julia Child should have visited a few times, if she did. Speaking of Julia Child did anyone see the movie Julia and Julie?) The sad thing is I can't pack this food home back to the USA, but just live with the memory of savouring the gastronomic delights that is both a feast for the eye and the pallette.

But, what's so interesting about this market is that it's been around since the 13th century. Borough Market is London's oldest food market. It was established on the south bank of the Thames when the Romans built the first London Bridge. It has occupied its present site for 250 years. The romantic in me pretends I am in the renaissance times, in a big huge corsetted dress with a bustle (that my skullerymaid has taken 1 hour to help me tie up the laces) wandering about the Market trying to gracefully dance through the masses of people, smelling this bread, touching those apples as I fill my basket with the abundance of this great earth. Lovely !
















For hours and Location
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

Etymology of Words: The Origin of P.O.S. H

A word that many Londoners or English use is the word posh. In British culture, something posh is elegant or stylishly luxurious; somebody or something typical of the upper class. " Posh" is an acronym for "Port Out, Starboard Home.

Here are some examples I have overheard in everyday speech where the word posh is used, abused and overused. I really wish people would vary their slang, it gets quite boring to hear that word posh used so liberally, without much rumination or deliberation.

Some Examples of using posh in a sentence:

1. I really don't like those ladies with their fake posh (prententiously aristrocratic) accents they sound like Madonna when she was the Queen of England.

2.Those girls with their posh (upper-class) accents really get on my tits
(they are annoying me)!!.

3.Sasha:" That is a really posh (expensive)handbag!"
Chloe: "Thanks darling, they only sell it at the very posh ( the very chic)Harrods."

4. I just ate at Claridges the most posh (elegantly) restaurant in Mayfair.

5. Lady Darlington: At that low brow garden party the host is so posh( stuck up), he didn't even kiss my hand when we were introduced.
Lord Fitzwilliam: Oh the nouveau riche are so posh (prentiously superior)(HA!)

So,what is the origin of the word posh?

The story goes that the more well-to-do passengers travelling to and from India used to have POSH written against their bookings, standing for 'Port Out, Starboard Home' (indicating the more desirable cabins, on the shady side of the ship). Unfortunately, this story did not make its appearance until the 1930s, when the term had been in use for some twenty years, and the word does not appear to have been recorded in the form The best known and most widely believed story is that it comes from old-time ship travel from Britain to India on the packet boats run by the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company. It supposedly stood for “Port Out, Starboard Home”. It is explained that somebody who had a cabin on the port side on the outward trip, and on the starboard side on the return trip, had the benefit of the sea breeze, and shelter from the sun, on the hottest part of the journey through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Such cabins were reserved for the most wealthy passengers, we are told, and the P&O company stamped their tickets with POSH to show their status. 'P.O.S.H.', which would be expected if it had originated as an abbreviation. Despite exhaustive enquiries by the late Mr George Chowdharay-Best, researcher for the OED, including interviews with former travellers and inspection of shipping company documents, no supporting evidence has been found.


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