SE13 Lewisham Model Market

Hello People

This week my journey around my hometown of South East London takes me to Lewisham. In the past there have been people who have cruelly referred to Lewisham as the ugly sister of South East London, and being the ugly sister of South East London makes for one ugly sister, think Wayne Rooney in one of Colleen’s dresses.

When I reminisce on the four years I spent at Lewisham college in the early noughties the only thing I can remember about my time there, is a guy we used to call 'Car-Hating Karl' who would stand in the middle of Lewisham Way and shout abuse at motorists as they drove past him.

Car-Hating Karl was something of a local celebrity back in the day. We would pour out of class at about 7.30 at night and there he would be, as regular to the landscape as the 136 bus and the Morley’s chicken shop. We would casually stroll past him as if his foul mouthed rants were no more offensive then the song of a distant bird, and in fairness he was never bad to any of us, we were on foot and therefore free to go about our business as we pleased.

The only time things got hairy would be if someone, usually a new guy, tried to make a smart comment about Karl, or worse still, object to his unreasonable behaviour. Whenever this happened Karl would stop his screaming, spin around on the spot, and stare dead-eyed and silent at us, through us, and straight into our souls. We would lower our eyes to the floor and move past quietly and quickly, not daring to speak until we reached Lewisham Station at the bottom of the hill. You didn't have to agree with, or even understand what Karl stood for, but you had to respect the passion and commitment he had for his cause.

On reflection Car-Hating Karl needed help. Also on reflection Lewisham has a lot more going for it then I had previously thought. Because tucked away behind Lewisham shopping centre in the old Model Market* the famous street feast has come to town, and its brilliant!

The model market is an abandoned indoor and outdoor market which started in the 1950’s. South East Londoners would go to buy the latest vinyl records, get their TV’s fixed or buy some threads.

But for this summer all of the old abandoned shops and stalls have been filled with talented cooks making dishes inspired from across the world. There's so much choice my advice is to grab a drink on your way in and eat a little from everywhere until you're sick. My favourites were the Plantain and the St Louis Ribs, but everything I ate was delicious.

I couldn't tell a Mojito from a Malibu and coke but my other half was very pleased with her slushy-inspired cocktails. And there were lots of beers and ales for me to cleanse my pallet with before moving on to the next course, just like the pro's do.

Every generation from too young to walk to too old to care were there and loving it, and it made for a really fun and friendly atmosphere. I knew I'd have fun but I was surprised how much I loved Lewisham Street Feast, but my biggest surprise came at the end of the night as we made for the exit. I casually looked back over my shoulder, and to my absolute amazement, there in the middle of the crowd with a Margarita in one hand and a Spicy Chicken Taco in the other, swaying to Bob Marley's 'Is this Love' and wearing a white top with the words 'I'm too sexy for this shirt' printed on it, was none other than Car-Hating Karl!

He was grey and old now but still unmistakable. At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, maybe it was a hallucination from too much Booze and Meat? But no, it was him, he had abandoned his post in the middle of Lewisham Way, and not only that, but he had abandoned his hate as well. He was happy now.

Maybe it was down to the Docklands Light Railway easing traffic congestion through Lewisham.  Maybe Lewisham council had put more parking restrictions in place. Who knows? But one thing was certain, old Car-Hating Karl had changed forever, and so had my opinion of Lewisham.

This Summer Lewisham, and South East London, is definitely the place to be.

*No living models were ever sold at Lewisham Model Market, I checked on Wikipedia.

http://www.streetfeastlondon.com/#!model-market/c38f