A Lady in London

Today is my three year anniversary of moving to London. Three years since I left San Francisco. Three years since I packed the previous three years into boxes. Three years since I arrived on the Eurostar from Paris.

In thinking about how to celebrate my three year anniversary, my mind naturally gravitated toward food. Specifically, cupcakes. Tiny and festive, these little parcels of sugar and frosting never fail to put me in a celebratory mood. And since I’m celebrating being in London for three years, I couldn’t possibly do without at least three cupcakes.

I walked down to the Hampstead Butcher and Providore this afternoon to pick out the lucky three. Their cupcake stand was packed with a wide variety of happy cakes, but I knew which ones I wanted as soon as I saw them. The first was a cupcake with an Oreo cookie on top, which represented my American background. The second was a purpley cupcake with sugary stars, which represented reaching for the stars by moving to London (sappy, I know). The third cupcake had sunny yellow frosting and confetti on top, which represented the celebration of three great years in London.

As soon as I got home, I started to eat my cupcakes. Not having much of a sweet tooth, I was on sugar overload after the first few bites. But no one ever said that victory came easy, so I powered through until I had finished no less than half of all three.

And now, rather than set goals for my next year in London or try to recall the ever-growing list of places I’ve visited since I moved here, I’m going to will myself to get hungry again. Tonight I’m headed to the soft opening of a new London restaurant, and I’ll need to bring my appetite.