England doesn’t let you miss anything desi because chances are, you’d be running into one every minute. The food, the people, even certain parts of cities, or cities on the whole will constantly remind you of back home and you’ll be in love with the place every second of it.
So if you’re ever in England and missing apna des, here we are with a list of the most desi places and things in England, jahaan aa ker aap ko lugta hai aap Saddar mein, Anarkali mein, ya phir shayad Jinnah Market mein kharrey houn:
1. Punjab Bus
First off, there’s a typically Pakistani bus that can be seen (and sometimes heard) in the streets of Southall. So if you’re feeling homesick and you want to go see something that’ll remind you of home, this is it.
2. B B Fatima
If there’s anything desi that you require in life, look no further. From desi masalas to Rooh Afza ki bottlein, to a plethora of desi people hanging around.
3. Tayyab’s
Imagine a desi restaurant in a gora mulk where people queue up for hours to get in! That’s Tayyabs for you. And, Allah, the food is isane.
4. Karachi Karahi
And imagine walking into this beauty with your head held high
5. The fact that there are places with so many desis that there are signs in Urdu
6. Sheesha places
Well, this just takes you back into good old Pakistan, doesn’t it?
7. Edgware Road
With men staring at you and literally just Arabs and desis all over this street, Pakistan ki yaad mushkil se hi aaye gi
8. Pakistan High Commission
This place is London ka Liberty gol chakkar, with the amounts of protests taking place here.
9. Bradford
Also dubbed Pakford, Bradford is probably one of the most desi cities in England. Sometimes, even the Queen comes to bhangra, here.
10. Every time Pakistan wins a match and the Pakis here go cray cray
Every desi here kinda goes a little crazy
11. Pak Week at LSE
I’m not going to say much but…
12. Faiz Mela
13. Eid ul Fitr at Trafalgar Square
14. When everyone gets together for match screenings
15. Aladin’s Kebabish
According to one Karachi-Londonwala, Aman, whose a tourist in his own city,
“walking into Aladin’s is like walking into 90 in Karachi”
16. Gourmet Sweets
And if you miss seeing one of these bad boys everywhere you went, don’t worry, ye bhi hai. Rumor has it that the Queen gets her Gajar Ka Halwa from here, as well.
17. Salt n Pepper
Speaking of seeing restaurants everywhere you go, there’s this as well.
18. Westfield Stratford
If you ask any Lahori or Karachiite, they’ll tell you Butlers is a local brand. And what better if you have a Khaadi store bus kuch hi qadmoun per? Haye, gher ki yaad si aagayi..
19. Desi beggars at Edgware Road
These people will come at you, touch you, pull you by the clothes, tell you un ke bachey ke liye doodh ke paise nai hain, give you maa baap ka sadqa, tell you kitni sohni jori hai, bless you with prayers like Allah nayi gaari de mere pyaar sahab ko, and, Allah meri pyaari madam ko naya suit dilwaye..sound familiar?
Know any other desi gems in the land of the colonizers? Let us know in the comments down below.
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Cover image via: BBC