Stasis, cuke sandwiches…and more on the menu, this royal jubilee

Sign in a London shop window as the excitement builds. Photo by Rashmee Roshan Lall

Cucumber sandwiches. ‘Jubilee trifles’. Ale. The menu of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II is quintessentially English and quaint.

The only thing is, it’s likely to change and be more ad hoc, much like Britain today.

What chance there will be a veritable smorgasbord at the planned street parties up and down the country? That there may be samosas and bhajis and empanadas, and momos and sushi, Polish sausage and plant-based sliders? That there will be wine and kombucha (as well as real ale) to help wash everything down.

Consider the individual chosen to portray the young princess who became queen in the central London pageant on June 5. It’s 22-year-old Singaporean dancer Janice Ho, who will dance with a 21-foot-tall dragon puppet. Ms Ho’s selection for the role, say the organisers, is meant to reflect the “make-up of Britain and London today”.