back to town

[anuran]

Back in Newcastle again today, bit fresher than yesterday. As I waited to cross the road at Pilgrim street/Blackett Street, I found myself standing next to a young straight couple, holding hands tightly. On the other side of them a middle-aged, balding, ginger man stared at them.

Presumably because one half of the couple was wearing a burkha. Wait for it... Wait for it... Ginger man is clearing his throat.. here it comes...

"Ah'm not bein' cheeky or nowt, but..."

There we go! Trust me, anything a Geordie says that starts with the words "I'm not being cheeky or nowt" will always offend you. I wanted to stay and join in what was probably going to be quite an entertaining discussion between the three of them, but the traffic signals started bleeping and I crossed the road, but not before I heard the response of the couple. They burst out laughing and said "Aww, ne way man!"

I do like Newcastle, it feels more culturally diverse than Edinburgh. Driving into range of BBC Radio Newcastle, I got to tune in for the nightly 2-hour Bhangra and Urban Flavazzz show; I just missed Newcastle Mela last weekend, and there's L'Afrique a Newcastle in a week or so.

Walking through the Grainger market (traditional Victorian market, lots of fruiterers, butchers wearing stripey aprons, cheap clothes, the oldest M&S still runnin) I spotted a sign on one of the Butchers:

"Sick of Barneys at the Kebab shop? Get the last bus home + make your own! ask us how!"

Comments

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

well yes, I like it. And I didn't say it was, just that it felt like it. re-reading thsi article makes me sound really snobby now I thnk about it. ha ha.

(When were you last down? Do you want me to get you an Owen shirt? :D)

[gnomatron.livejournal.com]

indeed - we did just have the biggest cultural festival in the world, we have our own mela, a strong asian community, lot of spaniards and polish folk...

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY

the "biggest cultural festival in the world" and I still felt as though I was surrounded entirely by well-off white English/Scottish people. Constantly. Here, there's *shock* non-whites! *horror* poor people!

[gnomatron.livejournal.com]

hmm. So, because we were surrounded by white australians, kiwis, canadians, etc., they didn't count towards multi-culturalism?

I dunno, I sort of see what you mean, there isn't a huge non-english speaking element in the edinburgh festival, but in the local populace we have strong asian and spanish communities, which still retain the languages of their country of origin. Oh, and a good chunk of chinese folk, too. I'm not convinced by your stance on multi-culturalism there...

[(Anonymous)]

Glad you're ok back in the toon. You gonna get a flat up there then, so I can get the plane and come visit you?? :) And when are you gonna come visit me??

[babybloodheart.livejournal.com]

Wow, reading how someone new to Newcastle sees things is weird, give it a few more weeks and you will realise how much of a cultural waste ground this place is, particularly in terms of rock culture, and how very little people seem to care about any sort of causes.