Eating my way across the Atlantic

I had this running through my head head yesterday

No, I don't harbour a secret desire to dance on stage in stockings and a basque (or do I? I see you shiver with anti...ci.......pation), but rather "I'm going home".

Anyway, as promised, I haven't gone for arun yet but I have been steadily eating my way across five time-zones (plus one YHZ to EWR then minus five to EDI).

Started out at a diner-style place in EWR which was unremarkable, but at least my pet cow enjoyed the unsweetened iced-tea

Well, unremarkable expect for the Red Velvet cake, which was red and velvety and surprisingly good.

and it even came with a cherry on top :)

On to EDI via very unremarkable airline food, one meal I think I actually ate while asleep (talk about waking dreams). Once in EDI, the eating began in ernerst.

We went hunting for coffee and a sandwich and ended up at Black Medicine Coffee Co. The plaque outside says JK Rowling wrote some parts of the early Harry Potters upstairs which may, or may not (depending how you feel about Quidditch and butterbeer) be a compelling reason to eat there.

We were a) hungry and b) in need of coffee. The sort of "if I don't get a coffee in the next ten minutes there'll be murders" kind of need. That seemed compelling.

The Americano was a bit overextracted but it hit the spot nonetheless. I admit it may also have been a pharmacological need; the junkie doesn't assay the purity of his heroin, he just shoots it up. Still, it came in a cool cup.....

...and a chocolate chip cookie! Their relative ineptitude with the espresso machine was instantly forgiven!

Fortified by coffee, it was onwards and upwards to Marks & Spencer; purveyor of fine trifles

It was hard not to leave with a couple. Their time will come.

I was also struck by this crisp packet

Patriotic chips! Take that Freedom Fries!

Finally, I got la belle to try haggis. Apart from not liking oatmeal, and haggis is basically a savoury oatmeal sausage, she did concede it didn't actually taste that bad!

Finally, no trip abroad is complete without either signs of the bicycle apocylapse or that Halfax just isn't pulling it's weight. For a city of it's size and relative own perceived coolness, there weren't that many fixies about, and even then they all had brakes; but no helmets. Has Edinburgh escaped hipsterism? Speaking of helmets, you can tell the people who are in town for Worlds as they are the only ones wearing helmets. Expect the Team Canada coach, I'm pretty sure I saw him rocking a cheap ten-speed on Georges Street sans casque. Muppet! Speaking of Georges Street (I'm all about the segues today) I saw this beastie in a shop-front. It's a single-speed with a coaster brake like the ones in the Cycle Gallery on Quinpool, not a fixie, but I did like that chain-protector.

I'm sure that as chain protectors it probably doesn't work very well, I mean when you want personal protective equipment, be it a chain-guard, face-shield, steel-toe-cap boots or condoms, you don't want minimalism, but you have to admit that even as you look at your ruined pants' cuffs you'll think "but hey, the chain-guard looks kinda cool".

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