north st. deli

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Day 1126 Winter is going

The date is bugging me today, my brain is telling me we had something to do on the 29th but it’s not coming to the prefrontal cortex. Hopefully it won’t shaft my day! The sun is rising sooner which means the days are getting longer. I’m starting to feel like Jabba the Hutt on my sofa so I need some light beams to encourage me to go out into the world, unfortunately the sun won’t zap the gremlins known more commonly as people.

Salads:

Sweet potato + coconut curry

Edamame + crispy shallot rice

Beef ragu pasta

Soup: Chickpea + roast pepper

Sandwich: Milano, Chilli pecorino, chilli relish + tomato

Day 1125 Add spice at your own discretion

I’m still trying to be proactive with my ‘to do’ lists, I say ‘still’, we haven’t even got past January yet. I’m not sure what the coming months will entail, heartbreak and misery most probably but if I stay on top of the admin then perhaps the petty dramas will run off my back rather than weighing heavy. I do love to indulge in a little bit of drama every now and again though, it keeps life a bit spicy.

Menu:

Paprika peppers + chickpea

Lemon + herb rice

Mushroom ragu pasta

Soup: Med veg

Sandwich: Chorizo, Provola, Spicy peach relish + tomato

Day 1124 I'm just dealing with some stuff

Life’s good but I got Lambeth trying to give me a CCJ for being on a single yellow when my battery was dead and i’m awaiting their injunction for having a table and chairs outside the shop, my property managers also want to anoint me with a CCJ because I’m refusing to pay my service charge on account of the total lack of service and I heard from a paper round in Putney that my Dad has now lost his front tooth. Life’s good but complicated…Happy Monday!

Salads:

Chilli non carne

Spinach + herb rice

Broccoli, chilli + garlic pasta

Soup: Cumin roasted sweet potato

Sandwich: Pastrami beef, Brie, Chilli relish + tomato

Day 1123 Who's really faithful

Lovely weather we’re having! Perfect pathetic fallacy for the Traitors final. The contestants are actually coming up with plausible theories now that the circle is smaller. The show is a great microcosm of society. Laying blame without reason, herd mentality, an ignorant assuredness. Bravo to the team that came up with the idea, this is some of the best telly to be created in a while!

Salads:

Black lentil curry

Ginger + turmeric rice

Med veg pasta

Soup: Vegetable madras

Day 1122 Tread carefully

Here’s a morsel of misery to grace your Thursday. I like my life right now, i’m in a good place. This is precious. My brain loves to sit in disaster mode. Sure, life is cushtie right now but what about every other day? What’s around the corner? Whose gonna slight me next? When things are seemingly good I know there’s trouble on the horizon. Good things never last long.

Salads:

Tuscan beans

Red pepper rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Velvet mushroom

Day 1121 Fear factor

We watched the new channel 4 show The Fear Clinic yesterday. Interesting watch. Its begs the questions, what’s your phobia? I not great with heights but I think that’s pretty rational. My brain tells me ‘hey, if we fall from here we might just die’. I felt sorry for the guy with a phobia of balloons, no ones gonna take you seriously, more so they might just torment you. People are lovely like that.

Salads:

White bean + mushroom

Lemon + parsley rice

Pasta e fagioli

Soup: Indian spiced sweet potato

Sandwich: Parma ham, Smoked mozzarella, Jalapeno relish + tomato

Day 1120 The devils work

I am genuinely perplexed how anyone can side with Israel. I play devils advocate in every discussion/debate but when it comes to the actual devil I will defend the outright victim. Seeing images of the Palestinians going back to their decimated land only furthers my opinion that one side is unequivocally wrong in this situation. The power of media should never be overlooked. Disgusting.

Salads:

Five spiced veg + bean

Edamame + crispy shallot rice

French bean + multi nut pesto pasta

Soup: Tomato, coconut + bean

Day 1119 The benchmark

Ageing is an inevitability but what you do with your time here is relatively up to you. I think the reason why the majority of people before us were so fearful of 30 was because it was a benchmark of where your at in life. If you go with the flow then you should be married, have property and perhaps a child. I would say one of the benefits of social media is that you get snippets of the other people, the ones that decided to go ahead in their own way. Surely as long as you achieve a sense of fulfilment and dare I say happiness you might just be on the right track.

Salads:

Beetroot goulash

Carrot + dill rice

Smokey aubergine + tomato pasta

Soup: Thai spiced black bean

Day 1118 Mount Rushmore

What a week back! There’s been so much to catch up on, Lord knows how many words i’ve averaged a day! I will need to reset this weekend and take more quiet moments next week. Mother will be happy with that. Now, now, I must go. I have to face my first Friday rush of the new year… I feel like it’s gonna be a goodun.

Salads:

Sweet potato coconut curry

Crispy tofu + ginger rice

Ham + chorizo pasta

Soup: Tuscan tomato + red pepper

Sandwich: Milano salami, Raclette cheese, Spicy peach relish + tomato

Day 1117 I'll see you in court

It’s always better to be proactive rather than reactive but what if you just become a control freak? You can look out for number one and give structure to your life to ease the stress but this also relies on others doing the same. This is where the procrastination comes in, the devilish voice that convinces you to put that problem on the back burner until it becomes an emergency.

Salads:

Braised med veg + bean

Sumac rice

Tomato + rosemary pasta

Veggie bake

Soup: Curried lentil

Day 1116 The test

I do like a good test, as long as it’s set by myself. The pre orders are in and we’re up against it but come hell and fire I will prevail. Accept that you can make a plan, arrange logistics, present meticulously but life might still send a curveball. Breath, don’t overthink and in the words of what was once know as Blue Ribbon Sports - Just Do It.

Salads:

Curried chickpea

Lemon + chilli rice

Spinach + garden pea pasta

Soup: Med veg vegetable

Sandwich: Fennel salami, Provola cheese, Chilli relish + tomato

Day 1115 Reset right

Great day back, I anticipate a talkative week as we have so much to catch up on. I must say i’m surprised at the lack of new year resolutions, I always expect a diet shuffle in the first month but it seems that people just want their home comforts to aid them though this bitter winter we’re having. I will get political later but for now i’m enjoying the coffee chit chat.

Salads:

Curried cauliflower + red lentils

Turmeric + coconut rice

Mushroom + tomato pasta

Soup: Borlotti bean, tomato + rosemary

Day 1114 Welcome back

Who missed the deli? I did. Like any normal person, time off work is a God send. Sleeping in, not having to face the general public, freedom. But dare I say I missed the routine? The routine that has you staring at yourself in the mirror at the crack of dawn pep talking yourself, convincing your mind that ‘you got this’. There are many lines of work that would cause a tear to run down my face before leaving the comfort of my home, this is not one of them, for now at least. Now, let’s eat!

Salads:

Chilli non carne

Spinach + herb rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Sweet potato + ginger

Sandwich: Chorizo, Pecorino, Jalapeno relish + tomato

Day 1113 See you soon

You didn’t think I’d leave without saying goodbye did you? This is where we part for the festive season, we will riconviene in the new year. We all know it’s the time to reflect on the year past and the future ahead. While it’s been absolute mayhem this week - with a 3 piece band - it’s also been an incredibly enlightening week. There will me many changes in the new year but this was an inevitability. I know the deli is like a TV series with many twists and turns, some you enjoy to see and some faux pars you look past because the food is oh so delicious! All jokes, cynicism and passive aggression aside I hope you all have the festive period you desire! Apart from you Megan Barton… I hope you get coal.

xoxo North St.

Day 1112 On to the next

The hardest part about doing a one woman show is the lack of breathing time. The conversations are endless and I feel as though they get more chaotic as the day goes on. A real snowball effect. With day one conquered I hope the rest of the week will float past.

Salads:

Moroccan spiced lentils

Sumac + spring onion rice

Cauliflower + sunflower seed pesto pasta

Soup: Lightly spiced bean

Day 1111 Your mums cooking

The last week until you’ll have to fend for yourselves. Christmas isn’t as bad as summer, at least your mum will make something somewhat edible for you. Amazing how after all theses years her roast remains the same. I’m going to try and enjoy this week as much as possible because I have a suspicion that the festive period will be a little painful this year.

Salads:

chilli non carne

spinach + herb pasta

Sausage + ham pasta

Chickpea salad with mustard, maple + cheese dressing

Soup: Lightly spiced vegetable

Day 1110 The fruition of pessimism

It’s funny really. I sit and stare, searching my mind for positive inspiration to grace my post whilst the shop floor is dense with laughter. The hilarity comes from being surrounded by boisterous merriment but still struggling to find the joke, funny to me at least. Thing is, if you look closely, and squint a little too, there’s actually a little joy in utter misery.

Salads:

Sweet potato coconut curry

5 spiced tofu rice

Roast pepper + tomato pasta

Soup: Sweet potato + ginger

Day 1109 Cream rises to the top but so does the scum

I’m trying but I’m really scraping for reasons why I should respect my neighbour. They keep asking for ingredients to bake a cake (badly) and leaving me sugarless. Now I find myself needing to make a cake and while I have all the ingredients there’s not enough of any of them. If I was to go to my neighbour, will they lend me the baking basics? Or would they feel put out?

Salads:

Mushroom cacciatore

Sumac rice

Broccoli, chilli + garlic pasta

Soup: Med veg + multibean

Sandwich: Spicy salami, Manchego cheese, Chilli relish + tomato

Day 1108 My mind is somewhere else but i'm glad my person is here

I’ve spent a lot of my morning looking over the atrocities that have rained down on Syria over the past 60 years. All the cruelty that was being inflicted onto the Syrians and being observed by governments across the world, all the iniquities and injustices that are still just being observed and it makes me think. You might (as a country) not be able to overthrow another government but surely you can create and execute a plan to take a population out of the tyranny? How can we demonise people that manage to escape that?

Salads:

Med veg chickpea

Lemon + rosemary rice

Sausage + ham pasta

Soup: Lightly spiced broccoli + potato

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

Day 1107 Non me ne frega niente

I have to make a conscience decision to care. See, every Tom, Prick and Larry seems to come in and express themselves (whether I want them to or not) because I’m a cheap counterpart to a therapist. Here’s the thing, I’m not a therapist and most days I contemplate mass murder or suicide (like any great therapist would) so I don’t think i'm the best person to go to, alas, they still come. I should charge more.

Salads:

5 spiced black bean

Edamame + crispy shallot rice

Roast squash + pepper pasta

Soup: Sweetcorn + ginger