Photo and Feature Photo: Mypouss

They sing. They tap their feet. The guitarist – clearly a fan of Led Zep – moodily plucks the strings of his guitar then starts beating the crap out of it with a stick. The singers show off and hardly anyone pays attention to the drummer at the back, tapping away at the cymbals.

But this isn’t any old band playing at a Camden dive venue These are birds: Zebra finches to be precise. Playing guitars. In an art gallery. It’s gloriously, wonderfully weird.

This, French artist/composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s first solo art show in the UK, became an overnight sensation when it opened at the end of February and a Youtube clip is racking up the hits.

Essentially the most rock and roll aviary in the history of the world, plugged-in Gibson Les Pauls are installed around the Barbican’s Curve gallery. Upturned cymbals are used as birdbaths, feeders and water bowls while mic stands make perfect preening perches. Nesting boxes line the high walls and the floor is covered with sand and twigs. As the birds ruffle their feathers, shuffle, build nests and land on the guitars, every sound their tiny feet make is amplified through the speakers.

Whereas most bands struggle with that difficult third album, here all it takes to make an opus is a bit of hopping on a fret board, the arrival of an unwanted love rival and a ‘get off my land’ twangy skirmish on the strings.

Photo: Mypouss

The birds themselves are trained professionals that came through an agency that provides animals to the film and entertainment industries. According to gallery staff, the birds were a bit British and standoffish at first, but now they’re hanging out like friends and there’s even been some romance. Last week when an egg was laid, the gallery had to be shut down and bird experts were called in. The egg is now being looked after by a friendly finch elsewhere.

The exhibition is a joy to walk around. There’s no sense at all of being trapped, just a lovely liberating feeling of freedom as twittering birds fly past your head.

What these tiny finches couldn’t teach you about rock and roll isn’t worth knowing. Cleaning bird shit off the instruments is a regular job for gallery staff and not even The Who’s bad boy Pete Townshend was that rock and roll with a Gibson.

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot
The Curve, Barbican Art Gallery, London (tube: Barbican)
Until the 23rd May, 2010
Free Entry
Open daily 11am-8pm
Open late every Thu until 10pm

Community Connection

If you’re thinking of taking the show on the road, have a look at 5 Things You Should Know When Traveling with Musical Instruments.

More bird inspired music for you? Bird Song: Can You Hear the Melody of Nature? has birds making notes in a different way.

Happy Eater of Fish and Chips Photo: lloydi, Feature Photo: davinaware

While our neighbours the French enjoy long, leisurely lunches and fine wines in elegant restaurants, we eat our main meal at the bus stop, drink our own body weight in warm lager and then cradle a donner kebab on the way home like it’s our only friend. We consider chips and curry sauce a square meal and we do unspeakable things to peas.

But many of us love food, really we do. In fact, Britain is a haven for foodies if you know where to look. Thanks to immigration, our lack of culinary snobbishness and our willingness to try anything once, you can find anything you want in the supermarkets on this rainy isle. Even better, unlike Rome or Madrid, you can literally eat your way around the world in London.

However, if you’re keen to sample more traditional British fare, here’s what to look for:

Fish & Chips

Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas Photo: psd

Saying you’ve had British food after trying fish and chips in Leicester Square is like claiming you know all about Italian Cuisine after eating in Pizza Hut.

Instead, do it properly at The Fish Club in Clapham Junction where you can get Red Mullet and Sweet Potato chips to go with your mushy peas.

Otherwise, head to the coast and look for any traditional ‘chippie’ where the queue snakes out the door.

Bangers & Mash

Bangers and Mash Photo: avlxyz

Nobody does comfort food better than us. On a miserable cold day with a hangover to mop up, sausages, mashed potatoes and gravy are just the ticket.

In London, The S&M Café in Islington is the place. Film buffs may recognise it as the café used in the Mod classic Quadrophenia.

Chicken Tikka Massala & Basmati Rice

Chicken Tikka Massala Photo: michaelwhays

No one in India has ever heard of our number 1 favourite dish. Lovingly made just for us, the chicken is marinated in yoghurt and spices before being cooked in a creamy tomato sauce and sprinkled with fresh coriander.

Most British expats would sell their own families to get hold of one of these bad boys.

Check out The Good Curry Restaurant Guide to discover the best Indian English joints.

Traditional English Breakfast

If you’re planning on pounding the streets all day, this is for you. The breakfast of champions and fat workmen, fried eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, bread and tomatoes are followed by toast and tea.

Finish it and you’ll never need to eat again. Ever.

Ploughman’s Lunch

Ploughman’s Lunch Photo: dainee

Britain and Ireland produce some of the best cheeses in the world and that’s a fact, ladies and gentlemen. Look out for strong mature Cheddar, crumbly Wensleydale with Cranberry or blue Stilton.

Order a pint of real ale and a ploughman’s lunch (cheese, bread and pickles) at the Mark Addy in Manchester and you’ve got the real deal.

Scottish Salmon, Jersey potatoes and Norfolk crab

You’ll forgive the Scots for their deep-fried Mars Bars when you taste their salmon. Best served with new potatoes and a salad, Scottish trout is pretty damn fine too. For succulent crab, head to Norfolk on the East Coast of England.

Beer & Pub Grub

If you want to learn about England, go to the pub. Get a drink down a cold stuffy Englishman and before your very eyes he’ll turn into a loquacious comedian. Buy him a couple more and he’ll dance on your table with his underwear on his head.

Besides the in-house entertainment, the pub is the place to sample Britain’s one true passion; beer. Traditional hand-pulled English bitter is darker than lager and an acquired taste. If you like it, let The Good Pub Guide or Camra’s Good Beer Guide show you the way.

To soak up some of the alcohol, rich meaty casseroles like Beef Wellington or Lancashire Hotpot are just the thing.

Sunday Lunch

Roast With Yorkshire Pudding Photo: Annie Mole

It takes some preparing but by God it’s good. Whether you plump for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (small rounds of thick pancake batter which are baked and smothered with gravy), lamb with mint sauce, pork with apple or chicken with sage and onion stuffing, this is a feast made for sharing.

Crack open a bottle of wine and then sleep it off in front of the TV. If you really can’t make your own, The Albion in London’s Islington have won awards for theirs.

Pudding Heaven

Treacle and Cornish Ice Cream Photo:Kai Hendry

Sweet-toothed travellers need to come to Britain. Frankly, we rock when it comes to pudding.

Rhubarb crumble with Cornish vanilla ice-cream, the meringue shaped heart attack that is Eton Mess, treacle tart, the delightfully named Spotted Dick, they are all utterly delicious and unashamedly designed to make you fat.

If you’re in the North, make a pilgrimage to Bakewell in the Peak District for great trekking and the hands-down mother of all desserts, Bakewell Tart. In London, stuff your face in style at The Brew House in the grounds of a stately home.

Photo: P_R_ , Feature Photo: Photocapy

Chile’s unusual geography and long straggly coast, means fish, meat, fruit and vegetables are all in plentiful supply. Vegetarians will have an easier time of it than in neighbouring Argentina and although Chile is more expensive than Peru or Bolivia, bargains can be found at lunchtime wherever you see the ‘menu del dia’ sign.

The Italiano

Photo: magical-world

Despite the name, hotdogs don’t get more Chilean than this. Smothered in chopped tomato, mashed avocado and about 3 pints of mayonnaise this is Chile’s fast food of choice. Lose the avocado and you’ve got yourself a completo. Many swear by the Santiago chain Dominó.

Sopapillas
If you’re got the munchies after a night out and aren’t counting your calories, sopapillas are just the thing. Pumpkin and flour are shaped into patties before being deep fried and slathered with pebre, a delicious sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilli, coriander and lemon that Chileans just can’t live without. Cheap as chips and sold on street corners everywhere, there’s also a sweet version served with sugary Chancaca sauce.

Empanadas

Photo: IntangibleArts

Popular all over South America, empanadas are pastry-wrapped portable pies similar to an English Cornish Pasty. Baked or fried and with a selection of fillings, meat based Pino is the filling of choice for locals. Aficionados head to Pomaire (a small village famous for its pottery just outside Santiago) for the stomach-expanding ½ kilo version. The best in the land (and write in if I’m wrong) are at Los Hornos de Rio Seco in Cajón del Maipo’s San Alfonso.

Cazuela de Ave
A stalwart during the winter months, Cazuela is a rich, soupy casserole full of goodness that’s perfect for dunking your bread into. Chicken on the bone is cooked in a nutritious stock with hunks of pumpkin, potato, carrot and corn on the cob. True carnivores can check out the beef version, Cazuela de Vacuno.

Paila Marina

Photo: devlinleedrew

Seafood fans will think they’ve died and gone to heaven when they see this. Traditionally served in an earthenware bowl, every conceivable type of shellfish is thrown into this traditional seafood stew along with herbs, spices, garlic and plenty of coriander. Best eaten in the Southern coastal towns, it’s pretty darn good at El Rincón del Pancho in Valparaiso’s Mercado Cardonal too.

Pastel de Choclo

Minced meat, chicken, raisins, black olives and eggs are crammed into a pie dish and then topped with a layer of creamy mashed sweetcorn and a sprinkle of sugar. It may sound weird but it tastes delicious. Every Chilean mum will tell you that hers is the best.

Photo: P_R_

Chorillana

Ooh this is dirty and wrong but it feels so right. Usually big enough for two, a massive plate of greasy chips is covered in fried strips of steak, onion and scrambled egg. Your heart will hate you but your taste buds will be begging for more. Studenty Casino Social J Cruz in Valparaiso serves the best.

Curanto
The pride of the island of Chiloé, Curanto is traditionally prepared over hot stones in a hole in the ground. Shellfish, meat, potatoes, vegetables and potato bread and covered with nalca (Chilean rhubarb leaves) and left to cook for an hour or so while everyone knocks back a few glasses of red wine.

Humitas with Chilena Salad

Photo: Cobalito

Summer is the best time for veggies to come to Chile, if only to try the humitas. Made from parcels of fresh corn, onion, basil and butter, they are wrapped in corn husks and then baked or boiled. Served with a sprinkle of sugar and a tomato and onion salad (Chilena), these babies are deliciously, deceptively filling.

Porotos con Mazamorra

Chilean country-folk have a knack for cooking beans and this dish is the pick of the bunch. A warming stew made from fresh beans, pumpkin, ground corn, onion, garlic and cumin, this ‘poor man’s food’ is proof that you don’t need to be rich to eat well at the bottom of the world.

Calzones Rotos (Ripped Knickers)

Photo: roboppy

Ok, so there are better desserts than this, but none with a name this good. A flat fried pastry twisted into shape and topped with icing sugar, sweet-toothed Chileans can’t resist them. Look out for the soft round pastry sandwiches filled with gooey caramel known as alfajores too. They are guaranteed to liven up long bus journeys and make great presents.

More Food On Matador

Dig food from South America? Don’t miss our Guide To Eating In Brazil and also take a gander at our Ceviche Primer. Those who over-indulge might follow Matador Nights’ Tom Gates as he eats his way through the world, with recent stops in Berlin and Bangkok.