People who stand outside restaurants trying to get you to eat in their restaurants C or D?

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So, last night while wlking down Brick lane for the first time in ages we were accosted by people mentioned above approximately every ten yards, this annoyed me far more intensely than it did Vicky. Indeed the seventh bloke got a mouthful (perhaps wrongly - he was the straw that broke the camels' back). But for sobbing out loud, I'll choose what place I go in, can't they see I'm trying to have a conversation and that it's rude to interrupt?
basically grrrrrrrr

did I over-react?

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

That is the worst thing about Brick Lane by some distance... amazingly, "I've already eaten, you just saw me come out of that restaurant" doesn't dissuade them.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

no, neither does f*** off

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

dud. but this reminds me i have never ever walked down Brick Lane, which seems odd.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:36 (twenty-two years ago)

That is the worst thing about Brick Lane by some distance

Based on my one time there, I agree it's DAMNED overwhelming.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

it's the first time I've seen it down there which is also strange, and it was pretty much more intrusive than the people trying to drag you into bars in Bangkok.

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

First time? They've always done it when I walk down. Maybe they think I need feeding up.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

whereas I.......

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

There is an alleyway in Brussels which is even more intimidating. What you are supposed to do is barter with them your final price.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris, I was going to ask whether it was worse than Bangkok. I still find Brick Lane touts positively restrained after Morocco, where they are astonishingly perseverant/desparate.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:45 (twenty-two years ago)

That only started happening a few years back. Also in Restaurant 101 don't they tell you not to do that, as it puts diners right off?

OTOH flyering is fine.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I was going to say I have encountered this to a scary degree in Brussels, and to a lesser degree in Paris. We were accosted quite a lot in Cyprus last year on holiday, but I guess that's to be expected in a tourist resort at the height of the holiday season. You don't expect it in Brussels or London in February.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

In Brick Lane, everyone is a tourist.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree, a flyer is much easier to ignore, or take and give a cursory glance at. But one of the main differences between Bangkok and down there is that at least in Bangkok they had smiles on their faces (and the same for Morocco from when I was there), whereas down Brick lane they were all as miserable as sin. It did wind me up to huge levels though.

Matt otm with that one

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

But down Brick Lane, you can haggle with the waiters for free booze. Surely this is a good thing? Besides, you can always say no.

― Jason J, Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

but saying no 8 times in five minutes when trying to talk to someone is, quite frankly, a pain in the arse

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

My personal pet hate is restaurants with photos of the food on the menu. I'd rather choose blind and get pig dick

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I've only ever encountered this at holiday destinations & it is indeed a nitemare!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Photos is very handy when you no speaky the language.

Japan of course has a full set of plastinated main courses in the window.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I was gonna post "Brick Lane to thread" before I read the opening post.

However, last time this happened to me on Brick Lane, the food was excellent and a bargain.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

i get annoyed when it happens on brick lane, but then again there's a lot of annoying things about brick lane, so it isn't surprising to me.

chris and vicky, i was wondering what you were doing on that bus! we ended up going for overpriced meze in hoxton. (the point of the exercise was to demonstrate to my friend why we really don't want to live there. it worked)

― colette (a2lette), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Put a couple of rocks in a sock and knock their teeth out if they're getting to you. I do this with the Big Issue salesmen because I'm nutty and I don't like taking any lip. Know what I'm saying?

― Nutty Nigel (Nutty Nigel), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

yawn

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

In Hoxton, no-one can hear you scream

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

big dud. this happens outside the intensely-decorated indian restaurants on first ave & sixth st in nyc, too, but i think the brick lane folks are even more aggressive. see also minicab drivers. jesus fucking christ: "cab! cab! miss! cab!"

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, minicab people get to me more as I'm usually waiting for a bus or something and so have to stay in the area, but on the sidewalk I (theoretically) have the option of going somewhere else.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

(not that I don't wait for buses on the sidewalk, guh.)

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

ooh, you're right, sarah. i occasionally shout 'if i was looking for a cab, would i be standing at the bus stop?' at minicab drivers. grr. i don't like them at all.

― colette (a2lette), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I often think taxis ought to slow down by bus stops to tempt people who are fed up of waiting.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

oh that happens

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

So it's like, umm, reverse kerb-crawling or something?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I like to impersonate dodgy taxi drivers by parking outside London nightclubs and looking tired and talking Albanian.

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

And then sexually assaulting women?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a thin line between assault and backseat fun. That case was settled out of court.

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

"now i'm gonna get me some sweeeeet caaaann"

― homer badman (blueski), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Once when I was waiting on a rainy night on Chepstow Road for bus at like 1am a black cab-bie pulled up, said the area was totally unsafe, and insisted on driving me home. For free. Said it was his good deed for the day.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I've had that too Suzy. I was getting hassled by a group of lads in Soho at about 5 in the morning. The cab driver rescued me and said I reminded him of his daughter. It restores your faith in humanity a bit.

― Anna (Anna), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Ed and I have a schism about cabbies. He hates them due to three different cab v. bike incidents, I like them for reasons stated above, plus when I lived in Hackernee lights-off guys always stopped for me on their way home.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:37 (twenty-two years ago)

When I'm feeling sorry for myself, I walk over to this mexican restaurant where they have a dude in a cheap suit standing outside. His shtick: hit on every woman who walks by. I don't care if he's paid to do it, I *need* those empty compliments sometimes, damnit.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

dud because i wound up eating at a really bland and boring place on brick lane. it would be classic if in fact each of these restaurants turned out to be strip clubs in disguise.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

dud, but only b/c i don't like sidewalk solicitations in the 1st place.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Beale Street in Memphis is horrible about accosting everyone to buy a wristband to wear into all the clubs. Apparently, it's some sort of age verifier/no cover kind of scam. I assume whoever sells the wristband for $8 gets to keep the profits. So everyone of these places on Beale had people running up to you waving wristbands.

Frickin' tourist traps.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven years pass...

PP can you maybe elaborate on that final thought for us please I'm not sure it really came across brilliantly

― MONKEY had been BUMMED by the GHOST of the late prancing paedophile (darraghmac), Tuesday, 24 November 2015 02:49 (ten years ago)

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