Competition Standard

Tate Modern is hosting an array of free and ticketed events this long weekend, and I thought I would go down and check out at least a bit of it. I had a quick peek at The Artist's Dining Room exhibit before heading into the Turbine Hall to watch families in funny hats take on The Great Turbine Challenge, a giant gameboard populated by unusual game pieces. Next up was a sound installation that filled the enormous hall:

I had planned on sticking around for a performance piece later in the day, but I was too hungry to wait around, so I walked along the Thames to Borough Market to have Bob's and my favourite sandwich: roast pork, stuffing, and applesauce in a lovely, squishy baguette. Mmm! It's been a long time since I've been to the market on a Saturday, and it seemed bigger and even more crowded than on previous Saturdays. After my tummy was full, I enjoyed wandering (very slowly) in the market throng, taking in all the sights and smells.Present-day vendors pay a lot more to sell their wares at Borough than this Schedule of Rents indicates their predecessors once paid, but of course, prices at Borough also reflect the market's status as London's most-loved foodie market.
Bob and I tried this sold-out paté before--I loved it, but Bob thought it was too oniony (but those of you who have ever eaten with Bob may know that he has a bias against all things allium, with the exception of garlic, so I don't think he's a fair critic).
I didn't buy any of this "competition standard" asparagus,
but it sure smelled great. I'm not sure I'm crazy about the name of this tomato,
but they did look nice, as did this mountain of fragrant fruit. I love oyster mushrooms--we cooked them quite regularly in Vancouver, but somehow haven't been doing so in London.
These figs were picture-perfect with their lovely bloom,
whereas this spice kiosk was a bit over-the-top. One thing I'm definitely learning is that I need to brush up on (or in some cases, learn from scratch) my vegetable varieties. In Vancouver, when you buy potatoes, they're usually just labelled by colour (white, red), function (baking), or season (new). The only potato commonly known by variety is the Yukon Gold (oh so good). Here, they all seem to have names
and I need to find out what's what! This stall had my favourite display of the day and when I saw this paella on my way out of the market, I almost regretted not waiting longer to have lunch. (Almost. We've never regretted eating anything at Borough Market!)