Picture from The Guardian
At the weekend the Cereal Killer Cafe in Shoreditch was attacked by what the press are referring to as 'anti-gentrification protesters' rather than their actual label 'cunts'. There were children in the building but it didn't stop these animals from throwing things and daubing paint on the windows. From what I have read so far, it would appear that selling a bowl of Corn Flakes for more than the price of a box of Cornflakes makes you the enemy. What exactly is the problem? If you're anti-gentrification then you're basically saying that you want to live in a shit hole with no chance of advancing. So what if a run down area suddenly acquires luxury apartments and a wine bar? Isn't it good for an area to have something that brings money in and tidies the place up? I remember Notting Hill being a dump and look at it now, if you find yourself being priced out then move. The other option is to take some local pride and join in with the effort to improve and make your shitty town somewhere to be proud of.
Not that I want to take the side of the brothers running the cafe, but at least they are working and not claiming benefits, which is probably something I couldn't say about the protesters. I think the concept of a cafe that sells cereal is ridiculous but all that means is that I won't go in. If we went around smashing up places that don't agree with us then where would it end? Hockley in Nottingham has a bar called Das Kino that is populated by the rolled up trousers and silly hat brigade but I'm not about to go smashing it up just because it is a poncey poser meeting place for people to wear silly shirts and big beards. Even the fact that it cost £15 for three drinks on the one and only occasion and they asked if I want a slice of orange in a pint of beer didn't make me want to do any damage, I just won't go in there and won't have to worry when it closes down because the customers have moved on to the next craze.
If you want a proper breakfast in a cafe then cereal isn't the right choice anyway, if only someone would pay me to do a breakfast column on a regular basis. I certainly wouldn't buy overpriced cereal unless I was on expenses.
The Sunday Alternative Podcast #57 is available from here.
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September housekeeping
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