north st. deli

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Day 1212 Drizzle in June

I have every intention to be the most productive human today. I’m pumping out my tasks left, right and centre. This miserable weather reminds me that summer is not guaranteed in this country, the good times might not roll around as soon as I anticipated. Alas, there’s plenty indoor work I can do, it’s just boring and sedentary. How do people do this?

Salads:

Mushroom cacciatore

Lemon, chilli + rosemary rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Roast tomato + bean

Sandwich: Chorizo, Manchego, Jalapeno relish + tomato

Day 1211 Hump day

A man goes out for a walk during a storm with nothing to protect him from the rain. He doesn’t have a hat, a hood or an umbrella. But by the end of his walk, there isn’t a single wet hair on his head. Why doesn’t the man have wet hair?

He’s bald.

Salads:

Braised beans

Rice salad

Roast vegetable ragu pasta

Soup: Lightly spiced red lentil

Day 1210 Changes in your vicinity

The day is grey but my mood is bright. I put my augmentative skills to good use and it seems I might have reached a truce with my property managers. I’m proud. There are 101 problems going on in the world at any given time, if you think about them all then you’re sure to put yourself in a hole. Worry about the things that are in your control and put in a effort to change the things the bring your grief, one problem at at time.

Salads:

Peri peri cauliflower + split peas

Roast pepper rice

Roast olive pesto pasta

Soup: Sweet potato + ginger

Day 1209 Scheduled discomfort

Nothing particularly miraculous happened in my weekend. I intend to make my June a little more entertaining. I wanna be one of those people who sigh at their scheduled fun time and question ‘why did I book this?’. London has unnecessary ‘fun’ antics going on at any given time, like a morning juice rave in Peckham. Not saying I wanna listen to house music and sip a ginger shot at 8am, I just wanna inject a little oddity in my system.

Salads:

Ginger + turmeric chickpea curry

Spinach + herb rice

Sausage + ham ragu pasta

Soup: Some kind of spiced blended veg

Sandwich: Nduja, Cream cheese, artichoke + tomato

Day 1208 Maybe i'll start calling ham 'prosciutto' and charge more

I’m feeling a little weak today, I think all my napping has convinced my body that we need to break down for bit. Please refrain from telling me that Trinity has started doing sandwiches, this might be highly unprofessional but I honestly don’t care. If you have the disposable income to spend £13.00 on a sandwich at lunch then props to ya mama, i’m proud of you. I’m not a business person, I’m just here for sandwiches, salads and vibes. Whatever is going on in the polygon is none of my concern, I ride for North St. Stay blessed.

Salads:

Curried lentils + aubergine

Rice salad

Roast pepper + tomato pasta

Soup: Tuscan tomato

Sandwich: Garlic salami, Smoked mozzarella, chilli relish + tomato

Day 1207 Watershed is at 8am

As it’s half term we have quite a few children frequenting the deli, both with and without their parental guidance. We’re not a very child friendly environment, by this I mean, many of the conversations that fly around the premises are not suitable for children. It’s a fun challenge trying to censor myself, it’s not a task I excel at as you can imagine. So, PSA for all my parents out there, maybe leave your kids in the car (with the window slightly ajar) while you acquire their snacks there’s a high risk of them hearing some colourful profanities.

Salads:

Thai coconut curry

Lemon + chilli rice

Garden pea pesto pasta

Soup: Lightly spiced vegetable

Day 1206 Not in my world

The phrase ‘that’s just the way the world works’ has made many appearances in my discussions over the past few weeks. It’s starting to grate on me greatly. The statement only works when speaking about a natural disaster. For example, if a volcano erupts due to the collision tectonic plates ‘that’s just the way the world works’. However, if you use this statement to brush over the injustice you find in every crevice of our society you’d be an unimaginative fool. Less we forget, society is a man made product with many design flaws that can be changed.

Salads:

Med veg lentils

Spinach + herb rice

Mushroom + tomato pasta

Soup: Carrot, ginger + miso

Sandwich: Chorizo, Fontina, Chilli relish + tomato

Day 1205 What did you say?

For some unknown reason, one my ear drums has decided to take a few days off. My hearing has been playing tricks of me, maybe it’s my body telling me to calm down and have a little more time with my own thoughts. Great, apart from the fact that I can barely hear when someone makes an attempt at humour and I have to ask them to repeat the punchline. I sense a tedious day ahead.

Salads:

Tuscan beans

Smoked paprika + sweetcorn rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Indian spiced tomato

Day 1204 I'll hold my applause for now

Here’s a weird thought that circled my brain today. When a woman announces she’s pregnant the normal response is congratulations, I find this strange. What are we congratulating? You don’t know what the child will become. You’d like to imagine your spawn will be an asset to society, a positive addition to the community but you could be birthing the next dictator, scammer or knob who parks their lime bike in the middle of the pavement.

Salads:

Moroccan spiced chickpea

Preserved lemon rice

Smokey aubergine + tomato pasta

Soup: Lightly spiced red lentil

Sandwich: Garlic salami, Manchego cheese, Spicy peach relish + tomato

Day 1203 Sun now, shade later

Shining start to the morning, the community is on top form. The day is sure to become more grey as I will be having a well overdue meeting with my property manger this afternoon. I use the term manager loosely, the meeting is to underline that nothing is being managed. Sure to be a lot fun.

Salads:

Thai coconut curry with roast squash

Lemongrass + ginger rice

Cauliflower + cashew pesto pasta

Soup: Tomato + roast pepper

Day 1202 Wet wet wet

I asked for rain and Daddy Dio delivered. I hope we’re all feeling suitably moist on the wet Wednesday! It took me while to get to my desk today, I need to knuckle down and sort through a bit of admin but the shop floor has been too entertaining so the desk work will have to wait until after hours. I’m going to take part in a meeting tomorrow to discuss our awful property management, proper adult antics, Megan Barton would be so proud.

Salads:

Curries split peas with aubergine

Rainbow rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Roast pepper + oregano

Sandwich: Fennel salami, Provola, Chilli relish + tomato

Day 1201 Blame it on the rain

The ground is starting to get really dry, where are the April showers? I know we’re all loving the sunshine but think of the crops, without a little moisture there will be severe repercussions! I’d also like a little rain to fall so that my napping habit can be excused. It’s easier to excuse being a hermit when the weather isn’t pretty. Alas, the weather man is reporting clear skies, I think the dark clouds are just hovering above me.

Salads:

Borlotti bean + roast peppers

Spinach + herb rice

Courgette, tomato + chive pasta

Soup: Spiced sweet potato

Day 1200 The vision of Europe

What a Eurovision it was. The tension during the voting was palpable, I wasn’t surprised but I was disappointed. It would have been interesting to watch them win though. It would be like North Korea putting on a show about love, freedom and equality. The world is a strange place. We seemingly work so hard here to try and safeguard children but we don’t mind that they are being obliterated elsewhere. How bizarre.

Salads:

Black bean + sweet potato curry

Lemon, ginger + herb rice

Mushroom + tomato pasta

Soup: Tuscan tomato

Sandwich: Speck ham, Fontina cheese, Jalapeno relish + tomato

Day 1199 Now that's what I call a Friday

What a start to the day! It’s all been a little to docile for my liking this week. I’ve been suffering from unreasonable boredom but that won’t be a problem today. The sun’s out, the huns are out, the day is moving along at a brisk pace that I can get on board with. A little birdy exclaimed that I should be grateful that I don’t have a pile of shite to deal with. This is subjective, i’m just to comfortable with my shite, I’m a seasoned pro when it comes to shovelling shite.

Salads:

Med veg lentils

Red pepper rice

Roast vegetable ragu pasta

Soup: Mild vegetable madras

Day 1198 Waiting for inspiration to hit

I’m in a state of irrational discontent. I could give you 100 reasons as to why my mind is irritated but in the same breath I could throw those feelings to the wind and accept that life has lulls. I’m sure something on the horizon will inspire me to be a bit more upbeat. For now, I feel like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

Salads:

Thai spiced chickpea

Aromatic rice

Roast pepper + tomato pasta

Soup: Spinach + pea

Sandwich: Pastrami beef, Provola piccante, Chilli relish + tomato

Day 1197 Leave room for silence

I spoke myself into a comatose state yesterday, no wonder I don’t feel social on the weekend. I always try and stay on top of my habits in the hopes that they don’t fester into bad practice. I feel as though talking can become a bad habit, a way of filling the vacant space. In reality we need that quiet time to recalibrate, without it, you risk going into a state of delirium.

Salads:

Mushroom cacciatore

Lemon + parsley rice

Tomato + basil pasta

Soup: Spinach, pea + potato

Day 1196 That 1.8% makes a difference

I was greeted this morning with a delivery of whole milk. I sigh, what will the yummy mummies drink now? They’re already having to put up with a semi situation when entering the lair, now the have to face…oh God I can’t believe i’m uttering the words…full fat. Crisis. Luckily my milk man realised his error and returned with the semi I desired. Crisis averted.

Salads:

Black bean + aubergine in black bean sauce

Kimchi rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Indian spiced tomato

Sandwich: Speck ham, Provola cheese, spicy peach relish + tomato

Day 1195 Google is a liar

On your marks, get set, let’s start the week. The sun is shining, the responsibilities haven’t set in yet, we’re feeling good. I’ve been trying to save some coins but I decided to allot myself dinner out on Friday. Bab al-Yemen in the Fulham area. 4.9 rating with over 3,000 reviews. It was so mid and disappointing but a vital lesson was learned, the internet really do be lying.

Salads:

Cauliflower + chickpea curry

Edamame + crispy shallot rice

Broccoli, chilli + garlic pasta

Soup: Sriracha spiced chickpea + spinach

Day 1194 Saturday blues

It’s been a good morning, I haven’t given much thought to weekend plans. I spend most Saturdays decompressing from the heavy conversations I subject myself to during the week. While many arrange to meet with friends and unpack their lives, share a beverage and end up in a bar talking nonsense to a person they’ll probably never see again. I like to dig myself a pit, sit in it and fester. Hopefully my mind plays ball and i’ll enjoy some sun. Probably going to go with the dark pit option though.

Salads:

Thai spiced coconut curry

Lime leaf + ginger rice

Courgette, tomato + basil pasta

Sandwich: Cumberland sausage, Cheddar, onion relish, mustard + tomato

Day 1193 Witness the stiffness

The moment my body came out of slumber this morning I could feel it. The burn. Not the one some of you contract after a Saturday night on the lash (ya nasty). The burn you feel the second day after popping some healthy squats. I feel like the Tinman, I have to gear myself up to conquer a singular step. Why must exercise be such a painful affair?

Salads:

Mexican beans

Aromatic rice salad

Sausage + ham ragu pasta

Soup: Lightly spiced squash + ginger