h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm in a terrible mood. I got to the fishmongers by 10am and this very posh guy in front of me bought the last of the oysters..I tried a bit of banter with him and he just looked at me blankly and glazed.

Oysters used to be a thing only a few local eccentrics like me ate...but now these gentrified hoardes are moving in, fed on all those Rick Stein type programmes with a voracious appetite for doing the 'middle class, poncy thing'. I bet most of them don't even like oysters really...but it's the fashionable thing...

I can't taste my food again, and oysters are one of the few things I can taste with a big hit of tabasco and lemon juice...

And the fish and chip shop is being totally re-designed. The quality of the cod had better improve then to match the new 'look'.

I can accept change but I can't accept this bloodless thing of just doing things cos its fashionable.

At least the tennis is on and red blooded males are knocking seven metaphorical bells out of each other...

You're lucky you *have* a fishmonger, we only have a Fish man that opens a little stall three times a week. You have to battle the little old ladies for the best bits (and you have to be *very* early to do that he's only there for about four hours )

I went back later to get mussels, only to find they'd also gone, so bought some frozen clams.

Yes we are lucky; that's why these people are moving in. We're a time warp in this part of Peckham. There's a lot of old and disabled people in the area who can't get to the super market...There has probably been some tv programme about this area as a gem to buy up property in.

I chose to live here for cultural reasons. Money is changing it though. Luckily on the second ocassion I bumped into a few local acquaintances to say hallo to, who didn't look straight through me...like new people coming in do, disrespecting our ways...

Sorry if I sound bitter, but I am. Why can't the new people be more civilised on the whole....Anyway I'm working on the people in the new poncy delicatessant, and being full on, direct talking and friendly...they look permantly nervous, but less than last time. They do sell wine from a barrel thing that you can re-fill your bottle from at a good price

It's a culture shock thing though. This area is my *HOME*.