London’s taste of brotherly love
– Emily Savidge
London is a diverse global city, but its nods to Philly culture are sparse. JP Teti, founder and owner of London’s Passyunk Avenue restaurant, is changing that. Throughout the pandemic, Teti’s innovative representation of the City of Brotherly Love lets Londoners and transplants alike engage with Philly culture despite lockdown.
The UK is currently in its third national lockdown. The first lockdown, which began last March, saw sports and entertainment events postponed, followed by school, pub, and restaurant closures, and ultimately, a stay-at-home order. Before these restrictions, London was a lively global cultural hub. Just taking the tube on a weekday evening—packed with tired commuters and excited tourists—felt like a cultural event. With more than 270 nationalities represented and 300 languages spoken throughout the city, London has always been a place where you could be yourself while being immersed in other cultures, no matter who you are or where you come from.
While the pandemic has made London feel somewhat deserted and lacking in the global unity for which it is so well known, there was one culture difficult to find in the city even before the pandemic struck: Philly culture. American culture is prevalent in London, although typically depicted as unvarying, with no regional uniqueness. This stereotype did not go unnoticed by one New Jersey native and Philly lover.
(BroadStreetReview.com, 2021, United Kingdom, <https://www.broadstreetreview.com/cross-cultural/fitzrovias-passyunk-avenue-restaurant-takes-south-philly-flavor-abroad>)