bald marauder

Haha! LOL Louisa, you really made me laugh ;-)

I liked the 's' post Sean. Louisa, believe it or not, I'm not actually a yuppie, but I do like good fish - and am prepared to pay more for what I consider to be better quality and value. I have actually been to Billingsgate several times, and have also been to Tsukiji in Tokyo several times too (which makes Bilingsgate look like a toytown fish market, by the way). Having eaten raw fish at the market alongside the workers after their shifts, I am happy to say it is not always necessary to pay more for the best - but by the time stocks get to retail level, the best quality produce is snapped up by the traders who know the difference - and can pay more for it, because they know their customers will pay more for it too. If you go into Moxons on a day when they have sushi quality tuna (and they readily tell you when it's not quite fresh enough) then they will cut off a piece for you to taste on the spot. That has never happened in FC Soper, and much as I love their very local and down-to-earth feel, their fish just isn't the same. My mouthwash, since you asked, comes from Health Matters and is natural Aloe Vera-based - just what you would expect from an incoming up their own arse yuppie, I am sure. ;)

Louisa, if you seriously think that "the fishmongers in ED is exceptionally overpriced, and the quality of the produce isn't any better than that sold at F C Sopers" then you need some seriously heavy-duty mouthwash - or lessons in how to taste food...

F C Soper makes fantastic home-made taramasalata and great herring roe - but for fish in general, Moxons is streets ahead, it has some of the best sushi grade tuna in London. It's a fact of life that the best shops in any category tend to gravitate to an area where people can afford to shop there. That's why there's Kenzo and Issey Miyake in South Ken - but not in East Dulwich.

Louisa, I don't get your 'organic' meat reference. Are you suggesting it isn't organic? Or that all meat is bad?

DM, I am surprised to see you take such a hard line on sunglasses in the house. I had you down as a prolific wearer yourself, and possibly someone who may not rush to remove them indoors...

Oh my God - I was in Vietnam years ago and probably drunk weasel poo without realising! I think even in funky Bellenden Village that would raise eyebrows...

Don't know, but according to Mrs M a cappuccino is about ?2.50. Expensive, but they are using Monmouth Coffee, which clearly makes an excellent cup.

David C, have you checked the new Rough Trade in Spitalfields - very cool.

Well I say good luck to these guys, and I for one shall be going to check them out and lend support. This just in from one of the owners: "We won't have a full a3 licence but we will serve traditional Banh Mi bagguettes, also steamed dumplings BAnh Bao, BAnh Cuon and sticky rice etc. even Trung Vit long (duck embryo)!! and some soups - we don't want to get into the full restaurant thing - but concentrate on our strengths - that is coffee. Tuyen plans to do some other VN drinks - Sinh To and the like. I imagine that things will evolve once we have got in there, but we will continue to do the mobile cafes too as they are invaluable for marketing ( & cash flow) We hope to make the cafe as real as possible to the Saigon coffee house experience, with Viet pop music videos & decor - without trying to dilute/water it down to western tastes too much. Our business is starting to get successful because we haven't compromised too much ( ie no Viet Cappucinno ) there's a bit too much wishy washy stuff out there that plays it too safe. We will continue in this vein i think!! cheers Rob" BM

Yay! Music and books combined please...

Bellenden Road. (Just North of Grove Vale, and possibly a little bit too far into scary SE15 for some forumites, but deservedly popular with others...)

Here's the website, I've just emailed them to ask about their food offering, will post up their reply when it arrives. BM http://www.caphevn.co.uk/index.html

Maybe Keef and Nero are right - let's have a strictteacher amnesty. After all, us parent-types should be big, ugly and grown-up enough to let people learn from their mistakes and carry on with their lives. (Does that sound too cheesy?) There's room for everyone to get along fine, some people just need longer to learn how to do it than others (and I'm 42 and still learning myself). OK strictteacher, why not say hi, or join another thread, I promise I won't jump on you like the over-excited children you must understandably find frustrating (and at times in all honesty so do I).

Hmm, a razzle sandwich followed by a Freudian slip - now the mind really does boggle!

Monster munch

Is milk shake an American invention? Mmmm, lovin' it!

Definitely not mad, MW74. I suspect that this provocation is exactly what the programme was designed to elicit. And with the wonders of modern editing suites, you can make people say pretty much what you want them to, even if they never actually said it. Hence, it's no great surprise that the interviewees provided plenty of humour for the scientifically pure of heart.

Er, wasn't it actually the scientific community that believed 'bleeding' and the use of leeches were cutting edge conventional medicine at one point in time? And haven't doctors/scientists in recent times discovered that applying maggots to wounds acutally heps them to heal better as they eat only the rotting flesh? Surely the point is that none of this is as black and white as we would like it to be (how frustrating that is for the rational-minded!) and our knowledge and practices are constantly being refined and improved. Conventional medicine has a huge and central part to play, and I don't think many people, even advocates of complimentary medicine, would deny that the NHS is the first point of call when something serious goes wrong. However, other approaches (and I'm not necessarily a huge fan of many of them, but I do like a good massage, and acupuncture has worked well for me - as has physical exercise) can have a role to play for those who believe in them. Yes, it could well be that it is the belief itself that has the most powerful effect, but if it works, why knock it? Creating the conditions for the body to heal itself is something that we should surely be taking seriously? Bottom line is no-one has ALL the answers, we are still discovering how life and the human body and mind works - that's why science is still funded and thriving - if we knew everything already then all scientists would be redundant...

Tazzi, out of interest, how come your friend who lives in Victoria follows the EDF?!!

We did Seam, and I have to say, he chose his battles - and his editors - carefully. There is plenty of scepticism about big Pharma-funded 'double blinds', and a lack of rigour/integrity in some of the peer reviews - yet conveniently these were never discussed. It presented modern science as the bastion of all knowledge and integrity, which while no-one is going to say it hasn't achieved a tremendous amount on our behalf, is a very one dimensional perspective. It would have made a much more compelling - and illuminating - programme if it had looked for real answers and hadn;t set out with a totally pre-determined agenda. Still, that's modern telly for you I guess...

Well, I guess we can't be completely certain, however there seemed to be a little too many bitter and pointed comments for it to be a p*** take. And even if it was intended in jest, I can't believe that a piano teacher, who depends on these people for her livelihood, would resort to such a scathing attack. It out-ratners Gerald Ratner for God's sake!

Naughty DM, I'm sure rabbits are not confined to the angry and childless...

One of our friends, who is gay and 7 months pregnant, visited us this weekend. We all went to the Herne and had very civilised time, baby M who is 9 months old loved the bread and ate virtually a whole basket on her own (well they were very tiny slices). We didn't even use our buggy, it was folded up in the corner out of the way. I kept my eye out for bitter, piano-teacher types, or other child-haters, but no-one seemed the least bit bothered by our presence. In fact, everyone seemed to rub along quite nicely, with a few old-timers smartly dressed chatting and drinking pints in the saloon bar, and a mix of families and couples eating in the dining room. Plus, obviously, some children playing in the PLAYGROUND (well spotted mightyroar). It was an excellent example of a relaxed, inclusive community space. And the burgers, as usual, rocked. I think what's nice about ED is that, sometimes all sorts of people do get along just fine together. BM

Thanks Boosboss, TBH, with the weather as it is, at least they're not missing out on quite as much as they would be if it was baking hot and the park was rammed with people. Still, it must be good for them to get it open during Autumn, they'll lose out on people even knowing they're there if they're not open before November. Good luck and fingers crossed that they hit their target. BTW, do you know/are you allowed to say if they're connected with any other establishments that we will all know/frequent? BM