Following up on Anthony Bourdain's interesting and very complimentary recent broadcast about Houston's culinary scene, which highlighted the diversity and the decades-long welcoming aspect of the city's residents to newcomers, immigrants, including refugees from war-torn areas around the world. This has greatly aided in the quality and incredible variety found in the Houston dining scene, helping make it one of the very best in the entire country.
The show quickly reminded me of this passage from the terrific song Bhindi Bhagee by the late great Joe Strummer and his band the Mescaleros about eating in London’s eclectic, ethnic neighborhoods, which is easily relatable to Houston (though maybe more so, and certainly more enjoyable, when sung by the band):
Well, I was walking down the highroad,
And this guy stops me,
He’d just got in from New Zealand,
And he was looking for mushy peas
I said, “no, we hadn’t really got them ‘round here
I said, but we do got…
Balti, Bhindi, strictly Hindi,
Dal, halal, and I’m walking down the road,
We got rocksoul, okra, Bombay duck-ra,
Shrimp bean sprout, comes with or without,
Bagels soft, or simply harder,
Exotic avocado or toxic empanada,
We got ackee, lassi, Somali waccy baccy,
I’m sure back home you know what tikka’s all about…
Welcome stranger…to the humble neighborhoods,
You can get inspiration on the highroad,
Hommus, cous cous, in the jus of octopus,
Pastrami and salami and lasagne on the go,
Welcome stranger, there’s no danger
Welcome to this humble neighborhood…” *
Not that we have any highroads in Houston, nor hills, much less too many pedestrians or mushy peas on menus, though there are some New Zealanders (and an Humble). But, as fun as it is to dine in and around London, I’m pretty sure that we have it better here in Houston.
* Reprinted courtesy of Epitaph Europe
The show quickly reminded me of this passage from the terrific song Bhindi Bhagee by the late great Joe Strummer and his band the Mescaleros about eating in London’s eclectic, ethnic neighborhoods, which is easily relatable to Houston (though maybe more so, and certainly more enjoyable, when sung by the band):
Well, I was walking down the highroad,
And this guy stops me,
He’d just got in from New Zealand,
And he was looking for mushy peas
I said, “no, we hadn’t really got them ‘round here
I said, but we do got…
Balti, Bhindi, strictly Hindi,
Dal, halal, and I’m walking down the road,
We got rocksoul, okra, Bombay duck-ra,
Shrimp bean sprout, comes with or without,
Bagels soft, or simply harder,
Exotic avocado or toxic empanada,
We got ackee, lassi, Somali waccy baccy,
I’m sure back home you know what tikka’s all about…
Welcome stranger…to the humble neighborhoods,
You can get inspiration on the highroad,
Hommus, cous cous, in the jus of octopus,
Pastrami and salami and lasagne on the go,
Welcome stranger, there’s no danger
Welcome to this humble neighborhood…” *
Not that we have any highroads in Houston, nor hills, much less too many pedestrians or mushy peas on menus, though there are some New Zealanders (and an Humble). But, as fun as it is to dine in and around London, I’m pretty sure that we have it better here in Houston.
* Reprinted courtesy of Epitaph Europe
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