Update on Papu Miya pizzas Menu, London, England and Memories of Pizza in America

Problem
What to order when you enter a take away shop - or even a supermarket, faced with so many choices, and can't decide?

Answer
You look at the online menu first. I did that recently when supplying cakes for a book group meeting. I compared the cakes, ingredients and prices at Morrisons and Tesco. Should I go for a nut cake, plus another in case anybody was allergic to nuts?

Today I looked at the Papu Miya website. They have medium crust pizza. more filling than those thin crust pizzas. But I suppose more calories. I can vouch for the fact that I liked the Papu Miya vegetarian pizza with pineapple. Fruit and vegetable. I am always wondering about how to increase my fibre and fresh fruit intake.

The Papu Miya website offers food to order in advance and collect. You can re-heat it if it gets cold on the way home, or to a party, or you leave it for a short while before eating.

The menu includes both vegetarian and fish and meat options. You can add salads, potatoes, and garlic bread.

Stories
London, England
Why didn't I photograph the pizza and the box? Because I was busy eating pizza with one hand and typing the minutes of the meeting with the other hand. Next time I shall take a photo of the food. I shall later today add more photos.

Rockville, Maryland
When my family lived in Rockville, Maryland, on the East side of the USA, a short drive north of Washington DC, or a train ride, we were within walking distance of a highly acclaimed pizza mini-shop.

When we first saw it, after reading about it, we were surprised it was such a small shop front, and not over excited by the highly praised pizza. It was just a thick crust pizza. However, every time we took a trip anywhere else, and bought pizza from another shop, or ordered in a restaurant we frowned and muttered, "Not as good as the place at home!"

A slice of pizza was our reward and sustenance after a walk from our home in Parklawn Place to the nearby shopping mall. Funny how of all the things I remember, it is a slice of pizza, probably because each time I see a slice of pizza anywhere in the world it triggers a memory.

Anyway, here's my latest find in London, England:
www.papumiya.com/Contactus
More details of the Papu Miya Menu and address in two previous posts.

In the UK we say take away. In the USA you would ask for take out.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, English teacher and language learner and teacher. 

Buying jewellery, websites and walking

Gold of 18 carat, or 8 carat, rolled gold or gold plated, gold on silver, white gold, jade, pearl, freshwater pearl, diamond or cubic zirconia, real amethyst or synthetic, leather or imitation leather, opal or a p a l i t e? You might want to spend less and be quite happy. You might prefer not to have real fur or real leather. But do you know what you are being offered? Faux is French for false or fake.

I looked at some pretty jewellery on eBay. Then I reflected on the term o p  a l i t e . What is it? Obviously not opal. Is it a slice of opal rather than a whole stone? No, it appears to be synthetic. If you just want something pretty to wear whilst travelling (leaving your more expensive jewellery elsewhere) then it might suit you. But at least be aware what you are buying. In a shop you can decide if the colours are vibrant, or garish, drained out, or subtle. On line you have to be more careful. Here from the website below is a detailed guide.

In a shop, especially when travelling, you may have to make a quick decision. At least you can investigate in advance if you like buying opals from Australia, or amethyst from Asia.

If you are able to tell the difference and discuss it with the jewellery seller, you may get a straightforward answer. The seller may be quite happy to admit that you are looking at a 'fake' or synthetic gem if there's a chance of getting you to spend more on a real gemstone. The jewellery might happily say, "This is very cheap because it is just o p a l i t e. Very good value if you just want costume jewellery. But if you are prepared to pay more, I have this one for you which is real opal as you can see ..."

My view is that websites such as eBay should require the seller to publish a link, or they should make a pop-up to a link.

http://www.jewelledweb.com/2014/12/13/dont-get-fooled-opalite/

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.