Louisa

On the topic of fruit. Grapes with pips. They tend to be the juiciest sweetest loveliest grapes, then you bite in and find half a dozen of the little sods. Makes me very angry. Louisa.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Come on Otta, Seabag's always had a bit of that > and I like it, he's one of my favourites. Besides, > Louisa's is just as unpleasant, much more > frequently but you're a self-confessed fan so > maybe a bit of inverse snobbery here? Examples please quids. And what do you base this 'Louisa vs Seabag' scale of 'unpleasantness' on? How many more times on average am I frequently unpleasant? Bizarre comment. On the wider issue of snobbery, the funny thing about this so called 'inverse snobbery' is that, much like racism, sexism and various other forms of institutional discrimation within our society, those sat in their ivory towers from a position of privilege, are happy to scream from the rooftops about the inverted snobs attacking the hard done by gentrifiers and wealthy incomers to poor neighborhoods, when actually they fail to acknowledge that those very people are already in a position of privilege and advantage in the first place. It's like reverse anything really, when one has an advantage, it's not really correct to use the inverse label. 'Those horrible working class bastards who want to be able to afford to buy a home where they grew up bad mouthing the great gentrifiers who just want to come and buy a 500k 'do me upper' and create a identikit neighborhood for themselves. Poor sods.' Yeah it's difficult to sympathise when those being bad mouthed are already in a position of class privilege. Louisa.

Personally, I have not met a working class northerner living in London (aside from visitors), for a good two decades now. All middle class heritage, all from respectable and comfortable families, heading to now expensive working class neighborhoods and transforming them to suit their own snobby gentrified ends. Not as wealthy not as annoying as Home Counties or suburban blow in's, but equally as contributory to rising house prices and forcing working people put into the wilderness zones. Louisa.

Wetherspoons roast dinners are disgusting. However, they're cheap, and and to some people/families represent the only opportunity to eat out once in a while. I prefer homemade roasts, so won't be missing them one bit, but others who like this sort of cheap and cheerful option I can advise Morrisons cafe does a good value for money roast dinner. Louisa.

The truth of the matter is, many 'old time' folk from inner London locations such as our own, grew up in a post war world of optimism and wanting better for themselves and their kids. Many inner London locations were slums, including parts of Bermondsey, Walworth, Peckham & the Elephant. Whole families in converted Victorian bedsits through the 50s and even 60s. They wanted better for themselves, and who could blame them? Cashing in the two up two down terraced Victorian house for some clean country air isn't a crime. I am still contemplating it myself. This is why I see Bromley as a draw (and Kent). I've always looked outwards and beyond, wanting to be somewhere different to where I've spent my entire life. On the other hand, the incomers want the reverse. They're sick of country air and boring lifeless samey suburbanism. They want to experience edgy inner London with terraced pretty Victorian properties etc. The fur coat and no knickers label is a bit unfair on those working class folk who just wanted to make a better life for themselves. Louisa.

A duck curry served in a plastic Disney 'Donald Duck' kids bowl. A street food van that serves its food on the street, literally. A Venezuelan braised goat & aubergine wrap chucked on the pavement and you have to ironically get down on the hands and knees to enjoy. Louisa.

rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Penge is OK. I bought some carpet there and I've > been to the MacDonald's. I wouldn't wet my pants > about it though. Let's also not forget, Penge is home to a rather large Iceland store along with a Peacocks. Louisa.

adonirum Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > Louisa /anybody, am trying to remember, what was > the name of the furniture shop that is now an > Aldi/Lidl supermarket? That would be Edgintons, adonirum. Must have closed down around 2008/9. Had been there for donkeys years. Louisa.

The cool kids love this stuff though. Or do the 'right on' establishments just like to offer vessels smaller than a standard pint glass so as to sell less for more (in a cool glass obvs). I will have to stop typing on here as it's making me go quite 'road rage' for a totally disproportionate matter. Louisa.

I miss Kennedys and Woolworth's on pe he high street, but other than that it's definitely more my cup of tea than LL. People who bad mouth it probably know nothing about it. Hopefully it can stay that way. Louisa.

Or how about Gruel served in a bankers bowler hat? The irony-meter is off the bloomin scale! Louisa.

I think the overriding point should be, why should you be forced into that position to ask for a plate? What next? Soup on a slat? Get in quick before it runs over the sides. Good grief. Bloody hipsters. Louisa.

KK that is NOT the point here. I don't feel anyone should be forced into asking a manager in a restaurant, whether they would mind migrating their steak & chips from a chopping board (and mini bucket) onto a plate. Why not just put it on a plate in the first place? It upsets the entire evening and causes a fuss when there's no need to be. Me? I have no issue asking for a plate, but some people of a shy disposition may struggle to ask that question. Louisa.

It makes me quite angry to think that some know all nothing from some poncy cookery school made up this patronising concept of putting anything and everything on a bloody chopping board. I can understand chicken wings in a basket or scampi, especially in a themed chain restaurant or informal pub setting. But going to a restaurant and spending 20 quid plus on a main course served on a chunk of dirty wood is unforgivable IMHO. I might have had a few drinks, but for some reason this topic gets my blood boiling. Next time I go in somewhere for food I will ask before I order if the food will be served on a plate. I can't cope, call me old fashioned or a traditionalist but my god, why would you do this to food? What's the point? Grrr. Louisa.

Perhaps my example of demanding a dessert on the house is a little extravagant, but I'd only do that in exceptional circumstances (eg where they were damn rude about my request to use a hygienic serving method). Louisa.

Next time you go in to a restaurant which serves food on anything other than a circular plate, my advice is simple. Demand that the waiter takes back the food and serves it in a more appropriate fashion. Try to get a free dessert out of them for the inconvenience too. I had a row with a member of staff at the Beefeater just off the M26 near Maidstone, a year or so back. The manager (?) seemed confused as to why anyone would have argued the toss over such a small matter. I on the other hand, was more concerned about the risk of nasties collecting on the slab of wood. Louisa.

Does anyone on here ever wonder why Croydon is like it is? Demographic changes are symptoms of a London wide problem. Louisa.

I have resisted this now for most of the day. I was hoping someone else would raise this. But I can't hold it in any longer. Today one of my all time heroes (and possibly the sexiest presenter on TV other than Philip Schofield), bowed out from his BBC breakfast show, hosting for the final time. For 15 brilliant years I have been religiously glued to the TV with my cup of rosey, specifically waiting for this lovely man to come on air and gently pull me out of my morning coma. Bill I for one will miss you greatly. A fine presenter and kind man, the BBC Breakfast stint will not be the same without you. Happy retirement! Louisa.

Otta when you say Bromley is all fur coat and no knickers, I have to disagree. It might have been that way some years ago, but the inner London displacement has landed Bromley into a very different category in the last 10/15 years. More so now than ever. If anything, the fur coat no knickers label is more suited to the likes of Sevenoaks, Brentwood etc. Louisa.

I wonder if the visiting London gentry felt the same about Peckham and Dulwich during the early 19th century? Louisa.

Yeah I must confess he did push his luck with me somewhat. I couldn't resist sniping back. Louisa.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11415842/Would-Britain-thrive-outside-the-EU.html For a lay person such as myself, I think this article above summarises exit outcomes pretty nicely. I know a wide range of economists want to put their tuppence worth in, but for me this is a good summary (taken from article): Best outcome: EU trade hit, more than offset by red tape bonfire and budget bill reduction. In this scenario, the economic benefit to Britain would be ?16.1bn - or 1.1pc of GDP. Most likely outcome: Some disruption, but the UK recovers. Most likely scenario would leave Britain slightly better off outside EU. Under this scenario, Britain would be better off by ?1.3bn - or 0.1pc of GDP Worst-case scenario: Britain is frozen out by its neighbours. Trade and investment from the EU and further afield evaporates, triggering a market shock that pushes Britain's borrowing costs up by 1.5 percentage points. While Britain would not be left on the hook for EU budget payments, the costs would far outweigh the benefits. Under this scenario, Britain would be worse off by around ?40bn - or 2.6pc of GDP. Louisa.

If anything, it sounds to me like West Croydom has more in common with Lewisham or Peckham about 5/10 years ago than it does with Gravesend or Bromley. It just sounds like a zone 2 community has upped sticks and moved further out (possibly because of house prices, possibly for other reasons). Nothing to be scared of though, talk them, you might walk away with a lawyers4U free Parker pen and a demonstration fake tan, you lucky thing. I find NCR market more frightening on a Saturday morning. No such colourful characters or fake tans/eyelashes to be seen. Just lots of expensive food items being auctioned off to the highest bidding yummy, for fear of losing face at the next school fete if they're forced to buy from a supermarket! I know where I'd rather be! Louisa.

Seabag you have once again surpassed yourself on my 'snobometer' scale, well done. The ED 'blow in's finest', strikes again! Were these "care in the community" folk supping on cans of 'Special Brew' by any chance? Lamenting zone 2 life before the 15 quid organic burger twats arrived? Did the streets stink of piss? and more importantly, how many fried chicken shops could you count in this zone 12 slum? I guess when someone believes they live in such a perfect place as ED they can judge other neighborhoods however they like. Ever considered that some of these 'scumbags' floating around West Croydon station and its environs, were priced out of this area because of rising house prices? Long live Bromley (and West Croydon). Louisa.

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk As usual it's a pretty mixed picture and very much dependent on whether its online or telephone polling data. I wouldn't trust the opinion polls in either direction, as much of the post general election soul searching, done by the pollsters, has yet to reach a firm conclusion on what needs to be done long term to remedy the issues brought up by previous polling. Louisa.