Woo-woo!  I mentioned Partridge’s before as a great grocery store to hit for your fix of American products not otherwise to be found in London.  Well, another treasure has been discovered in Holland Park:  The American Food Store!!!  Quite the aptly named retailer; leaves no question that, yes, they will have your Kraft Mac-n-Cheese and Aunt Jemima syrup!  And apparently, they will order the items you crave as well…or maybe that’s only if you get in good with the owner, as my friends evidently did with their friendly banter, those saucy minxes

As I do say time and again, of course moving to London means having the opportunity to explore new cultures and the cuisine that goes with it—as we should.  The remarkable aspect of this city, however, is its variety of ethnic cuisines, so why not throw some American pancakes and ready-made-pie-crust into the big ol’ melting pot?  Just a pinch here and there to please the palate…it’s natural to crave the flavors you grew up with, after all.  That’s why we see so many people getting busted on those shows they air here like Passport Patrol—people are always trying to smuggle goods in from their homeland without claiming it at customs!

And I shall be one of them.  Folks, I’m Chicago-bound tomorrow, so I’m making my list and will check it twice…to make sure it’s airport security compliant, naturally   And when that stash runs out, I’ll be heading to the American Food Store at 2 Ladbroke Grove, W11 3BG.

(This excerpt previously appeared in my 17 May guest post on Anglotopia.net, a brilliant, comprehensive resource on all things UK that I highly recommend to all Anglophiles!)

Continuing from my previous post on where Americans tend to gravitate in London, today I bring you:

South Kensington

Central to London is the neighborhood of South Kensington, an affluent postcode that is home to a substantial American population.  The area bears a similar aesthetic to trendy U.S. neighbourhoods like Lincoln Park in Chicago or New York’s SoHo or Upper West Side and, like Notting Hill, is a cornucopia of shopping and dining.

Gloucester Road is among many venue-lined roads and is home to one particular grocery store that has become a guilty pleasure (if not a staple) for many-an American expat:  Partridges.  For as many American brands (or decent-enough equivalents) that can be found in UK stores, there are many good ol’ standbys that are rare in these here parts, so it’s key to have an oasis of American goods to satisfy that occasional craving for pancakes and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese!  And for more upscale shopping, South Kensington is only a few minutes’ walk from its opulent and pricier neighbor, Knightsbridge, which houses the likes of Harrods.

With the Victoria & Albert and Natural History museums, as well as concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington also provides a convenient dosage of British history and culture to immerse expats in their new country.

To be concluded in our next post…

(This excerpt previously appeared in my 17 May guest post on Anglotopia.net)

Sitting at my desk, I am now realizing what a huge bummer it is not to get Thanksgiving off of work outside of the United States.  This is my first Thanksgiving without a visit home, so I am inwardly *sighing* a great deal as I think of all that I’m missing out on…in about 3 hours, my mom will probably be loading up the oven with the big bird and dashing about the house with last-minute preparations before my siblings and their spouses and children arrive.  The lunch-time gorging will ensue before those that need to attend dinner at their in-laws’ homes leave and those that stay slip into a drowsy tryptophan-induced coma (lest we forget the Turkey chemical that makes us sleepy), trousers unzipped to allow a bloated belly some breathing room while a marathon of American football plays on in the background.  After the naps, somehow the stomach is ready for more, and the Thanksgiving feast reappears in its second incarnation for the day:  Turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie.  Ahhh, good food in good company is something to be thankful for indeed.

Hmm, I might not be helping to encourage Americans to move to London talking like this, but I do have a point.  First of all, purchasing a roundtrip plane ticket is not outrageously difficult to do in order to be home and experience abovesaid delights firsthand.  Costly, perhaps, but it’s up to you how worth it it is.  Second, just because it isn’t a UK holiday doesn’t preclude you from celebrating it here; in fact, the city is gracious enough to hold a special Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral (it was at 11am this morning) as well as offer bounteous traditional Thanksgiving feasts in assorted locales.  Visit the ViewLondon.co.uk link below for establishments serving in your area:

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/thanksgiving-at-london-restaurants-feature-1534.html?utm_source=VenueSiteStats&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=VenueSiteStats

Third, if you’re looking to prepare the feast at home, you might check out Partridge’s store, which stocks its shelves with oft-missed American goods like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Pop Tarts.  I, for one, think I’m going to check out the one on Gloucester Road in South Kensington for Stove Top stuffing.

And fourth, regardless how you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving in London, there is a wonderful new invention called the telephone–you’ve undoubtedly got a good international plan going for you (if not, try the Talkmobile SIM card for calls to the States for 4 pence a minute), so give those loved ones a call tonight!  If you want to take it up a notch and demonstrate your technological savvy (and have somehow already convinced your family members to invest in web cams…no small feat, admittedly; baby steps, baby steps…), might I recommend Skype as an audiovisual means of feeling closer to those at home.

From us here at London Relocation Ltd., Happy Thanksgiving!