Writing Exercise #10

Fictional Ethnic London Story 

In Brick Lane the mosque is non-descript. We all know who lives in the neighborhood, but passers-by most of the time don’t know. There is a plaque on the side marking it as being there, but Mosques don’t typically love to call attention to themselves, especially after the political unrest in the past 20 years.. Brick Lane hosts a huge population of Muslims and a lot of Bengali immigrants who came to London in the 1950s to work. The streets are filled with delicious food, the smell of each wafting down the streets and combining into one, well-spiced and mouthwatering smell. I like to come here when I miss home. When I miss the smell of curry and chai. When all I want is to feel like I’m not alone in missing them. That somewhere in London there is a little carved-out place for me, for people who know the stories and know the food and know the way.