In our hometown of Dallas, the land of malls and SUVS, we never experience the giant sweep and continuity of history (because it only sweeps back to, say, 1974.). But Borough Market in London has history in spades.

With my eyes half-closed, the market, tucked in a warren of streets under the mottled brick walls of a railway bridge and with a jumble of tents, food and people, looks like a scene straight from the Middle Ages. But the vendors don’t sell cheese from the farm down the road. Instead they sell Iberico ham and paella from Spain, organic cheese from Italy and curry from India. The cuisines, choices and crowds go on and on for blocks. It’s a massive (as they say here), modern, London version of the village market.

We got there when the retail stalls opened at noon. It was already packed with office workers grabbing a quick bite and hordes of tourists wandering the narrow aisles. After a walk-through to survey our choices, we each tried something different for lunch.

Iberico ham which isn’t allowed into the United States,

Duck Confit,

raclette,

English cheese,

all the beautiful vegetables you can imagine,

and lots of prepared dishes.