Mallory Mershon

I love food. So naturally, one of my biggest fears about coming to London was what I would be eating. Of all the countries in Europe, England is not exactly known for its food. I had been warned that it would be bland, and a tuna sandwich here would be very different from one at home. Luckily, none of these things seem to be the case.

So far, I’ve had only pleasant culinary experiences. Despite my usual hesitance toward fishy dishes, I gave the classic Fish n’ Chips a try. What was brought to me was a crispy fish that was, I kid you not, larger than the plate itself, a good 12″ in length at least! I was surprised by its tastiness, but felt guilty about my inability to finish more than half of it. The only downside was the nasty peas that came with it. I always have, and always will be, a pea-hater.

Next on my list of food to try was Bangers and Mash. After a long day at work, my roommates and I met up at a pub for a relaxing and economical meal. At this point, we had been in London for 2 weeks, and we were beginning to realize that we need to be more conscious about what we spend our money on. London is an expensive city, especially with such an unfavorable exchange rate. Pretty much everything we buy here is almost double what it would be at home. Anyway, we went to a pub with average food because of it’s 2 for 1 deals. Even abroad we still think like college students. I enjoyed the food, and it was nice to leave and still have a few pounds left in my wallet.

Perhaps what has been most surprising is not the food in restaurants, but the food in grocery stores. I try to buy primarily frozen foods here, since the fresh stuff goes bad quicker than at home and I never know whether I’ll be eating in or going out. One of my first discoveries was a little delight called “Crispbakes.” They are these delicious breaded patties with a variety of fillings which can be frozen and baked later. On my first time eating them, I was amazed by how delicious they were, far better than any frozen food I had eaten at home. I took a look at the ingredients, and was even more shocked by how few there were, and the fact that I recognized every single one of them… Chicken, Broccoli, Potato, Butter, etc. There was nothing artificial about them, it was as if mom just baked them and put them in the freezer to be reheated for another day. I’m going to be so disappointed when I go back home and return to my eating habits of putting countless unknown chemicals into my body. It just can’t be good for you.

Working at 3 fish this week has absolutely confirmed that this is what I want to do with my life. I was surprised by how much responsibility I was given upon my arrival as an intern. In just a few days, I have created an illustration that was sent to a client for an initial visual concept, taken photographs for the website, learned techniques for better photo editing, researched competitors’ marketing campaigns for a new project, and more. I’m constantly amazed by all of the shortcuts and techniques that veteran designers have under their belt and I’m anxious to get to that point because I know it will cut down the amount of time it takes me to complete tasks in half. Often, I watch the other designers barely even touch a mouse because they are able to manipulate their projects with only a few strokes of the keyboard. I learn new tips and methods daily, and it’s definitely true that as much as you learn in school, being in an actual work environment really takes that education to another level. I’ve had the tools this whole time, but now I have practical applications for them for real-life projects.

As far as work goes, I feel pretty good. My co-workers are great and the atmosphere is exactly what I would imagine a trendy London design studio to be. Music is always playing, people goof around, but the work always gets done and they have a fun time doing it. I’m getting more comfortable there, but really, my only obstacle is myself. I tend to get a little awkward or spastic when I am new to a group because of my nerves and unfamiliarity with my surroundings. While I would consider that normal, the more I worry about it, the more likely I am to say something stupid or make a mistake. I’m sure it’s mostly in my head, but I’m ready to kick the nerves to the side and finally be myself at work, because I get frustrated when I know I’m holding back.

I’m excited for this weekend to do a little traveling outside of the normal London areas I’ve been frequenting. I’d like to hopefully get to the Camden market, Soho, or maybe even somewhere outside of the city entirely. Every day has been a new adventure, and I’m trying to enjoy it while I can because I know it’ll only be a blink of an eye before I’m back in Owings Mills for the fall semester.

These past few days have been a whirlwind.

On Thursday, I met up with Ricky Oh and the rest of the 3 fish designers for lunch for the first time. Despite one incident of knocking over my drink and feeling like an ass, the rest of the experience was extremely positive. They had a way of making me feel comfortable from the start and I can tell I’m going to be learning a lot while enjoying every minute of the next few weeks. Everyone there is intelligent and unique, but completely hilarious, and I find myself laughing constantly. Equally important to good co-workers, 3 fish in a tree is located on the South Bank of the Thames, an area I have officially fallen in love with! Right along the river, the South Bank has tons of designer shops, eclectic musicians playing for the passing crowd, skateboarders, beautiful graffiti, and just an overall lively atmosphere. Just the other day I went to a gallery talk/signing of Storm Thorgerson, the designer of nearly all of the Pink Floyd album covers. There is always something going on at the South Bank.

After a few expected rainy London days, there hasn’t been a cloud in the sky all weekend. Two of my flatmates and I took this opportunity to knock out some of the major tourist attractions that we couldn’t leave London without visiting. We saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, all of the places you might expect, and we also took a flight on the London Eye. I’ve taken two trips to Tate Modern art museum already, but I still have about another floor and a half to check out before I can say I’ve explored it entirely. Luckily, it is just down the river from 3 fish in a tree, so it’s easy to visit as often as I need to. AND, unlike most things in London which are a bit expensive, Tate Modern is totally free.

I’m still in the process of figuring out the nightlife here. Unlike at home, most pubs here close around midnight and then clubs stay open ’til the early morning. However, I’m not much of a club person and the places we’ve been probably have more Americans than Brits (Piccadilly Circus & Leicester Square), so they aren’t much of a cultural experience. What I’d really like to do is either go somewhere with live music or get out of downtown London to find places with less tourists. I’m sure the people at work will be able to help me out with that though.

I have tons of pictures to share and I’ll get them up here by the end of today. I’ve been having slight computer issues where it likes to shut off when I’m in the middle of uploading/downloading. So that’s been great. But I’ll work it out and include them as soon as I can

“It is very difficult to know who we are until we understand where and when we are.” – Carl Sagan (Professor of Science and Space Sciences at Cornell University… and also the author of the book I read on the plane, The Varieties of Scientific Experience)

Sagan was referring to studying the universe, but that idea pretty much summed up my first day–trying to orient myself to unfamiliar surroundings while adjusting to a 5 hour time difference with only 2 hours of sleep on the plane. But who needs sleep… I’m in London!!

Lessons learned thus far:

-When in doubt, glance at your feet-

Since Brits drive on the opposite side of the road than what we do in the States, it makes your job as a pedestrian a little more difficult because the “Look Left, Look Right, then Look Left Again” rule doesn’t apply in London. It’s something I never considered before I came here, but as I took my first walk around the neighborhood, I realized that I needed to consider the direction of the traffic before stepping into the street. Luckily, most streets make this easy by simply looking down.

-I will be in great shape when I return to the states-

On top of all of the walking I will be doing to get to work, food, and sights, this is the beast of a staircase that awaits me when I return home. Though a beautiful staircase it is, it is not my friend when I return from a day of exploring on foot. The perk, however, is that I share the top floor of the flat with 2 other girls, but I am lucky enough to have my own room.

-Electrical outlets don’t always work automatically-

No, my computer isn’t broken… The outlets here, or at least in our flat, must be flipped on just like light switches, a concept I find myself forgetting from time to time.

-Not all letters are important-
Leicester is “Lester”, Greenwich is “Grenich” Gloucester is “Glouster” and Southwark is “Southark”, in terms of pronunciation… something to keep in mind when I’m lost and have to ask how to get to these places. 

-Footlongs are not $5.. or even 5 pounds-
Sadly, the Subway $5 footlong deal doesn’t exist here. Even more shocking, it costs extra to toast your sub! Ah!

Otherwise, so far so good. The flight was pleasant, the people are friendly, and the living conditions are more than satisfactory. I meet with Ricky and the rest of the 3 Fish in a Tree crew on Thursday for lunch so I’m anxious to get started!