April 15th – I love the Soho Road and that part of Birmingham in general, on the Smethwick/West Brom border. I took a ride up there after developing the craving for some decent dhokla – a savoury, fragrant yellow sponge made from gram flour, rice and chickpea, with chilli and coriander. This Gujarati snack is hard to get in Walsall, which is a shame as it’s gorgeous.
My fascination with the Soho Road is enduring – I’ve been coming here for three decades, and watched it change. Back then, the predominant accents here were Pakistani and Irish, now they’re more likely to be Eastern European, African or Afro Caribbean. Similarly, there are changes in the shops; a large Polish supermarket, various delis and lots of Caribbean fast food and baked goods.
Some things never change, though; the frenetic activity, the chatter, the mad traffic, the rush to be somewhere. The colourful fruit and veg and material emporia, the lurid platters of burfi in the windows.I watched a chap frying fresh jelabi on an outdoor stand, sweet centres were in full production for the weekend wedding feasts and looming over it all, the fading, resplendent (and in the case of the Red Lion, frankly hideous) architecture.
I love this place. I adore Birmingham. Even on this grey day.
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