Before I came to London, everyone told me that the food here wasn’t that good. It was a lot of meat and potatoes and that got old fast—though really, by my palette’s standards, that would be just fine for every meal. Regardless, they said I didn’t really need to worry about the much-feared “abroad bod” because mostly, I’d be eating the same as I did at home (which, by the way, does not exactly subside by fears about weight gain, but I’ll let that slide). People told me that I would go to over countries and marvel at the food and gorge myself on gelato and pizza and brats and waffles and every other tasty morsel in between.

I don’t know where the hell exactly these people were going to get their food, but in the past month I have been here, I have eaten more good food than I have in the past two decades I have been alive. Even Starbucks tastes better, from their All Day Breakfast Sandwiches to their yogurt pots to their freshly-blended smoothies. I have even noticed Burger King, of all places, does not taste so artificial and artery-clogging as it does within the contiguous United States. Every morsel of food is prepared with care and flavors are so much more sensational than they are at home. Every restaurant provides a different taste, even if they’re the same style of food.

Then there are the portion sizes. In the United States, food is served in gigantic quantities. I mean, there is an obesity epidemic in the country and it is largely supplemented by the fact that our portions are best split between at least three people. We overeat like crazy in the States and it’s because food is given to us in such massive servings that we don’t know any better. In England, and in my humble experience, across Europe, the portions are appropriately sized. I went to Chipotle today and the first thing I noticed was that my salad fit nicely into the bowl as opposed to spilling over the sides. Sure, there are meals on which anyone could gorge themselves, but for the most part, you can eat when you get.

While the portions are smaller, the variety is bigger. Even two blocks from my house there is a pizza place, eight different coffee shops, an Indian restaurant, a French restaurant, a burger place, a kebab shop, and probably countless other stops I have yet to experience. It’s a refreshing change from the burrito and sandwich shops that line every surrounding street at my school in California. Being able to experiment with different tastes from one single country is a pretty special experience. For the best range of all, however, you’re best suited to visit one of the many food markets around London.

Borough Market is undoubtedly the mac daddy of markets in the city of London. It’s the most Instagrammable, delectable variety of food goods you’ll ever see in your life. From bread to cheese to burgers to chicken, Borough Market has the most unreal selection. I went alone the first time I went and practically had to lay down on the sidewalk afterwards because I ate four meals in the span of two hours and physically could not handle the amount of food I consumed. The second time I went, I didn’t do myself any favors and started off with cheese raclette, which is literally just a fat wad of melted cheese over salty potatoes and pickles. I mean, no one can easily digest that.

While Borough Market is most featured on newsfeeds everywhere, more understated gems like Camden Market and Portobello Road offer themselves to a whole slew of delicious eats. At Camden Market, I managed to find the best fried chicken outside of the southern United States at a place called “Mother Clucker.” First off, the name itself is enough to draw me in, but second, the absolutely tantalizing smell of spicy fried chicken and Cajun seasoned fries had me practically running for the counter. After that I sauntered over towards Oh My Dog, which, again with the clever name, did not disappoint in taste. I mean, it’s really, really hard to mess up a beef hot dog with fried onions and pickles, but these people do it right.

There’s the chicken curry on Brick Lane. There’s the classic English afternoon tea at Sketch. There’s the different kebab shop on every corner. England is known for a lot, because it is a country comprised of so many different cultural marvels. The country itself is a melting pot of people and while it reflects that in so many sectors of life, it is most culturally evident in food. The food alludes to so much more than just food in this country. Sure, it's all delicious, even the McDonald's, but food alludes to the diverse nature of England as a nation. Immigrants from all over the world come to London and delight citizens and tourists and every person in between with a taste of their homeland’s food. Food is such an amazing part of any culture that speaks so much to a society as a whole, and to be able to take part in that, even if just for a bite, is so, so satisfying.