I went there for dinner for the first time with Alicja. We ordered the Kaiso seaweed, the Yasai roll, the Inari taco, the pumpkin Katsu curry, AND the ramen, but we still managed to eat a ton of snacks after that. She was just the best partner to have by your side when going out for a nice meal. I have this memory of her in my mind, sitting in front of Selfridges, all in black, winged eyeliner, bright red lipstick, and that hauntingly disarming smile of hers, just going to town on this brick of pistachio halva. I had been living in London for a few of months by then, but it was one of the first times I felt truly excited about exploring this wonderful city. She does that to you. We stormed several other amazing restaurants, but with Alicja, the thing I always enjoyed more than the food was the conversation. We talked about the big things and the little things. We would sit in the kitchen for hours and share our goals, our fears, our dreams, all while feasting on a jar of pickles. I particularly enjoyed listening to all the stories she had from her travels; she's been to dozens of countries and has lived such an interesting life. I loved how her eyes would light up every time she talked about something she felt passionate about. So much so, that it inspired me to pursue some projects I'd been postponing for months and to become more proactive and assertive about my own passions. Looking back, I find it quite remarkable how much things changed for me after this Polish force of nature made its way into my life.
But now it's time for her to leave, and I know I'm going to miss so many things about her. How she would zone out and let her mind wander mid-sentence. Her elephant pendant and her giant water bottle. The weird noises she'd make after falling asleep 15 minutes into the movie she wanted to watch. How independent, relentless, caring, authentic, sweet, driven and down-to-earth she was. I'll always wish we had more time to go to one last vegan restaurant, one last movie, one last snack run, one last walk across the city, one last awkward monologue in Spanish (wait, no, scratch that last one). Our paths are going in different directions now, but I will always treasure everything I learned from her and all the beautiful memories she gifted me. She may be leaving, but those little pieces of her are part of me now. I won't or can't hide how sad it is to say goodbye to her, but I also know that she'll be somewhere out there in the world, doing what she loves, being happy. She was my first summer in London, my confidant, the bananas to my mixed nuts. I wish she knows that I am very proud of her and that I wish her nothing but the best. She deserves it.
Anyway, food was great, try the chocolate mochi ice cream! read more