Let the Food Fest Commence

Food poisoning now dispensed with (see previous blip) I was able to fulfil my dream of going to the Bedford Street Diner. This diner has a special place in my heart. When I first came over to Stamford on 3 March - for what was meant to be three months - I had no knowledge of the area and knew I would arrive late on a Saturday evening.

Knowing I would wake early from jet lag, I decided to go online before I left Scotland and try to find any food places open around 6am. I found only one: The Bedford Street Diner.

Running to schedule, I did indeed arrive late in Stamford and I did indeed awake early from jet lag. Plan A rolled into action. Find the diner.

I put on some warm clothes, hat and gloves and left the apartment block. I thought of taking breadcrumbs but that was too Hansel and Gretel-ish. I mean, I couldn't get lost, surely.

I have travelled around a fair bit and have lived in many places over the years but this was a brand new feeling. The sheer excitement of discovery: first steps, first sights, first smells, and all wonderfully early in the morning, like the world was asleep and all of it belonged to you.

I turned a corner, went past the Stamford police station and saw the diner. I tell you, it felt like I had found an oasis. 'I could eat here for days if I got stuck' I chuckled to myself, then pulled open the door.

This family-run diner was enormous. Booths to the left, two-seaters to the right and some good old fashioned stools running the length of the counter. There were a handful of people having breakfast, some finishing night shift, others just starting their day. And then someone like me, a traveller.

I never forgot that first morning in Stamford, how friendly the people were in the diner and how great their food was.

Nearly one year later, I wanted to return, as a kind of benchmark. I know more now than I knew then, and will no doubt continue to live, learn and love more as time goes by. We all do, and we all try our best, I know. It's just nice to take a step back for a moment and be cognisant.

I'll definitely live life well if I keep eating at the diner!


Sounds of the Diner (click to listen)