By Trini D
EPISODE 2: WHERE DE DOUBLES?
Now allyuh remember yesterday ah tell yuh ah reach London and people telling me Carnival coming.
Fine.
But before ah could deal with Carnival, Tube, £7 beer and all dem other London problems, ah had something more important to sort out.
Food.
And not just any food.
Ah wanted doubles.
Now somebody tell me, “D, if yuh looking for Caribbean food, go Brixton.”
Caribbean food?
Say no more.
Ah reach Brixton expecting doubles on every corner.
Friends, ah see jerk chicken.
Ah see patties.
Plantain.
Rice and peas.
Ackee and saltfish.
Chicken looking at me from every direction.
But doubles?
Nothing.
Ah walking through Brixton thinking, all dis Caribbean food around me and not one doubles have de decency to introduce itself.
Then ah walking down one little road and smell something.
Curry.
Now Trinidadians know curry have a way of calling yuh.
Yuh could be two streets away minding yuh own business and suddenly yuh nose saying:
“Turn left.”
So naturally ah follow meh nose.
Little takeaway.
Nothing fancy.
Couple tables.
Trinidad flag on de wall.
Soca playing low in de background.
And behind de counter is this young fella moving like he know exactly what he doing.
Then he look at me and say:
“Boss, yuh want slight, medium or plenty pepper?”
Ah stop.
“Wait nah… where yuh from?”
He smile.
“Trinidad.”
Now we talking.
Immediately ah forget ah come to buy food and start interviewing de man.
“Where in Trinidad?”
“How long yuh up here?”
“Who making de bara?”
“Pepper homemade?”
“Yuh mother know yuh selling doubles in London?”
He laugh and tell me he living in London years now.
Ah say, “Good. So yuh should know better.”
He say, “Know better about what?”
“About charging people London money for doubles!”
Because friends, then ah see de price.
Ah had to look twice.
Ah ask him:
“Boss… de doubles come over from Piarco Business Class or what?”
He start laughing.
“D, this is London. Rent high. Ingredients high. Everything high.”
Ah tell him, “Is two bara and channa we talking about, not ah mortgage.”
He say, “You want one or not?”
Now this is where principles become difficult.
Because de doubles smelling good.
Real good.
So ah order one.
Medium pepper.
Little tamarind.
He hand it over.
Ah look at it carefully because ah wasn’t letting London fool me.
Bara soft.
Channa looking right.
Pepper behaving itself.
Ah take one bite.
Friends…
Ah stop talking.
And allyuh know when I stop talking something serious happen.
De man behind de counter watching me with a big smile.
“Well?”
Ah chew.
Take another bite.
“Hmm.”
He say, “Good?”
Ah tell him, “It eh bad.”
He laugh.
“It eh bad? Look how fast you eating it!”
Ah tell him doh study my eating speed. That is private business.
Then ah order another one.
Yes.
Another one.
Ah still wasn’t happy with de price, but sometimes in life yuh have to separate economics from hunger.
Anyway, ah finish eating and ask him how ah getting back.
He say:
“Easy. Just jump on de Victoria Line.”
Ah look at him.
“Jump on what?”
“Victoria Line.”
“Who is Victoria?”
He start laughing again.
Apparently everybody in London find transportation confusion funny.
So tomorrow friends, ah going Underground.
Although somebody explain to me parts of de Underground actually run above ground.
Already ah don’t trust it.
I gone.
AH TRINIDADIAN IN LONDON — CARNIVAL 2026
7 days to Notting Hill Carnival.
