• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Never cook at a rave: Glade

July 22, 2008 4 Comments Filed Under: Uncategorized

inSpiral Lounge, inSpiring!


…sitting on the hard shoulder of the M1. Brake caliper blown. We lost a wheel. It’s a miracle we are alive. Why didn’t I listen to the Brazilian murderer and replace the brake fluid?

Just finished cooking at Glade festival, an off-shoot from Glastonbury. God preserve me from dance festivals.

It’s a thankless task being a cook at a techno event. Nobody eats. They are all on the E-plan diet.

People start to eat by about Sunday afternoon when they have used up all their drugs. I have never seen so many people on ketamine. It’s like Night of the Living Dead. My teenager and I sat in the beautiful white sculptural space of inSpiral Lounge, with nylon spectres floating like luminous jelly fish. We watched one man huddled in a foetal position on the floor, gurning in his private world. Another climbed an invisible staircase. A third staggered zombie style. I saw one woman fall over head first in the mud. She just stayed there like that, bum in the air. A k-hole they call it. It is growing in popularity. Why? It is so not a good look. You couldn’t pull on it.

The other drug du jour is Nitrous Oxide or laughing gas. Balloons litter the grass. Teenagers sit in circles holding dispensers, sucking on balloons. I tried one. I felt ill as if I was emerging from general anaesthetic. It costs £2.50p a pop.

Costumes are extraordinary: restoration dandies, robocop, psychedelic robin hoods, flamenco dancers, plushies and of course every other person has dreadlocks. Another snapshot: people trying to row a dinghy across the grass.

My kitchen crew are diverse: a Kurt Cobain lookalike whose Israeli girlfriend worked for the Israeli mafioso who owns Camden lock. Her building and all her belongings were destroyed in the fire. She was compensated in cash by her boss, as was everyone else in the building, which housed staff. Strangely no one was killed. Everybody was ‘out’. The boss had sought planning permission for a casino. The Israeli girl whispered about the fire: “Don’t ask”.

It got quite serious between Kurt and the Israeli girl, her parents wanted him to convert. Trouble is, Kurt said, I had nothing to convert from…

Also in kitchen crew were teenagers from North weezy, my neck of the woods…North West London. Post code gangs…

M, a mixed race kid from Harlesden told me about his mum, who is a tough single muvver.

“She even threatens people at work, yeah, if dey annoy her, yeah, she slices ’em up. Crip.”

“Where does your mum work?” I enquire.

“Marks and Spencers.”

Teenagers are not allowed at Glade, 13-18 years olds are banned. A good idea as the drug usage is so heavy. My teenager was kitchen crew, frying eggs in her ball gown.
One morning I heard shouting behind the kitchen where the bosses’ no-neck teenage monster is stood nervously.

“Don’t go out there” warned the staff “a ketamine lecture”.

“We care about you” I heard “You are 14 years old. These are adult drugs which are dangerous. Do not try them. You cannot navigate your class A’s. Don’t think that you can!”.

Teenagers nowadays are surrounded by drugs. What does the responsible parent do? It’s unrealistic to think that they are not going to try a bit of spliff. I’ve tried to be open and honest with my teenager about drugs and sex. In this way I hope that I can better track what is going on. But I would be distressed if she tried anything harder.

L, the flame-haired waitress, lives in Hebden Bridge, lesbian capital of the world, although she isn’t. It’s a hippy haven, the Glastonbury of the North.

The oldest member of the team is the strangely the one who looks the straightest but has caned it the most. She is a veritable walking encyclopaedia on drugs.
She explained that there were two reasons why the toilets were so bad at festivals:

  • the drugs
  • the sudden switch to high roughage vegetarian food.

I chatted also to an older woman who is severely ‘lichenoid‘ that is, allergic to compound metals. It was initially diagnosed by her dentist and she has lost most of her teeth as a result of the lesions. She had to paint her mobile phone with enamel paint, but a bit rubbed off and she now has a huge seeping welt on her texting finger. She can’t go in cars or planes. She is allergic to the modern world. Gold and silver are fine, it’s the compound metals she can’t handle and nowadays everything is made from cheap aluminium.

I drove to the local town of Basingstoke to do some shopping. For 30 minutes I drove around trying to find it. Then I realised that the industrial type buildings with air vents sticking out the back was Basingstoke. The pedestrianised High Street faces inwards, invisible to the outside world. There is a town hall styled like a downmarket Disneyland Main St. The shops are all chains. Fine dining is restricted to a MacDonalds, a Café Rouge and a pub chain. Walking through, I felt the hope drain out of me. It was the town planning equivalent of a Dementor.

from my iPhone.

This guy made his own robocop outfit…

Amazing installation which had different faces projected onto it…

Trippy…

Balloons …

The Oxygen bar, 3 quid a go.

A typical punter…

I wonder what level 4 does…

Recent posts

Christmas present suggestions for foodies 2023

December 5, 2023

Yeni Raki dinner at Ruya, London

November 26, 2023

La Clique, a spiegeltent show in Leicester Square, London and a late dinner at Wong Kei

November 21, 2023

Previous Post: « Super moot: Cannibalism
Next Post: Secret Garden Party »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ben Emlyn-Jones

    July 22, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    I've never heard of this festival before; it sounds a bit like the church fete on Blackbird Leys! LOL.

    The only drug I've tried of those is NO2; lovely stuff! Entonox is better though because it is a 50-50 NO2 and oxygen blend… And yes I did get them from my hospital! Who in the service can truly admit that they've not had an experimental sniff? We all have to "test the regulator" occasionally. If we gave it to the patients when it didn't work that would be a gross dereliction of duty! 😉

    Reply
  2. caroline

    July 22, 2008 at 7:51 pm

    hello,
    Have been missing you and wondered if you were going to blog… When are you back? I told you about my friend who is electro-sensitive and has a very bad physical reaction to wireless broadband networks… I think more and more people are going to become violently allergic to the modern world…

    Lots of love, Cx

    Reply
  3. Ben Emlyn-Jones

    July 23, 2008 at 8:11 am

    The modern world is so full of pathogens! I read that in the villages in the mountains of Switzerland they never got ill hardly at all until they built roads there to open them up to "civilization".

    Reply
  4. Sophie James

    July 24, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    Scary. And thanks for letting me know about Basingstoke, although it sounds more like a state of mind than an actual place. You write brilliantly about the rave and the woman who was allergic to life in its modern form. Reading this piece made me want to go to a jumble sale and buy a few quiches though. And a couple of good paperbacks. Sophie

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Ben Emlyn-Jones Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Visiting another Etnean village, Bronte, which is Visiting another Etnean village, Bronte, which is celebrated for the pistachio. Around the snowy crater, you see twisted gnarled branches of ancient pistachio trees. In Bronte you can buy pistachio cream, pistachio pesto, pistachio cannoli, pancakes, pistachio coffee, panettone, you name it. The pistachio is red on the outside and green on the inside. I’d love to visit during the harvest. In October when they have a pistachio festival. Pistachios are related to cashews and mangos. #italy #sicily #solotravel
Yesterday I visited Noto in Sicily. It’s famous Yesterday I visited Noto in Sicily. It’s famous for baroque architecture. The churches, shops and streets are ready for Christmas, with nativity scenes, lights and wrapped presents. The light is beautiful, softly golden, as it is in all of these villages under the eaves of Mount Etna, puffing innocently in the background. Sicily has so much to discover. Of course I had an orange, olive and fennel salad. #citrus #travel #sicily #noto
Went to see the orange groves of @la_.deliziosa_ i Went to see the orange groves of @la_.deliziosa_ in Sicily, under the eaves of mount Etna which is glowing orange with streams of lava making their way down the snowy verges. The air smells of charcoal, smoke and occasionally sulphur. This grove is seven years old. The oranges 🍊 have stretch marks like the swollen belly of a pregnant woman. They will be ready to pick in two weeks. #citrusseason #sicily
The most brilliant focaccia from the Puglia region The most brilliant focaccia from the Puglia region, hot, oily, crispy, with sweet cherry 🍒 tomatoes, green olives and plenty of salt- which we ate in the fields with the farmers. Food always tastes better when eaten outside. @commissioneuvadatavola
More bits done to my dining room. Painting the bar More bits done to my dining room. Painting the bare woodwork in @littlegreenepaintcompany, moving furniture around, building a spice cupboard. Tablecloth from @dunelmuk I’m off to Naples and Sicily today so it’s all a bit rushed. More tidying, painting organising on my return. Hey interiors people, paint companies, homeware and tableware companies- I’m up for collabs! #tablescape #crockery #kitchens #diningrooms #pantry #reclaimedwindows #spicecupboards #scallops #stripes #rawplaster #london
I went to an amazing @yenirakiglobal lunch today @ I went to an amazing @yenirakiglobal lunch today @ruyalondon a gorgeous Turkish restaurant just off Park lLne. It was hosted by the lovely drink expert @douglasblyde (Evening Standard drinks columnist). It was nice to see some old faces from the blogging world. I loved the ‘Istanbul- bull’ cocktail made from elderflower ginger beer and Rami with a sliver of cucumber. We had a demonstration on how to make khachapuri Turkish style. In turkey they say ‘let’s go for a raki’ meaning shots of raki with mezze. The sea bass with a pistachio crust was a great match as was the smoked salmon with pink peppercorns. Raki goes great with fish. I also loved the ‘lonely’ dip ‘rafik’ which is something you order when you are lonely- then everybody joins you.  Raki is sometimes referred to as ‘lions milk’ because it goes white when you add water and it puts hairs on your chest. Raki is made from wild fennel and grape way de vie. Fennel, like liquorice, is 13  times sweeter than sugar. First week of December is #worldrakiday #raki #turkey #turkishfood
Christmas present suggestions for foodies: a month Christmas present suggestions for foodies: a monthly subscription to @thetinnedfishmarket I love the packaging, it’s so useful to have in the pantry for last minute meals. The top three tins are from the November selection: tuna, sardines and mackerel. The bottom 3 tins are anchovies, stuffed calamari and smoked oysters. I recently used their tinned smoked tuna in a recipe- it’s a revelation. I often buy my daughter tinned fish for birthday or Christmas #christmasgiftsideas #subscriptions #christmasforfoodies #tinnedfish #foodpackaging
Berenjenas de la abuela con miel. This is my Sagit Berenjenas de la abuela con miel. This is my Sagittarian recipe for @holidaygoddessguide sag loves fiery hot fried food, purple is Jupiter’s colour, and Spain a sag country. This tapas recipe is a dead cert for the archer. Topped with Venusian honey… #astrology #planetarydiet #recipes #tapas
I made Mas Huni, a Maldivian breakfast dish, using I made Mas Huni, a Maldivian breakfast dish, using smoked tuna from @thetinnedfishmarket I like a savoury breakfast and this hits the spot. I have a post up on the blog tomorrow by Mary Wedgewood who has just spent a year teaching in the Maldives- a very different experience from the sun, sand and luxury you get in the resorts. #tinnedfish #maldives #mashuni
Last night I went to see @lacliquetheshow in a spi Last night I went to see @lacliquetheshow in a spiegeltent (a kind of wooden tent) in Leicester Square, London. A series of neo-circus acts, some rather saucy with a wonderful torch singer with top bants entertained us. A real Christmas treat- it’s only on for 8 weeks. Probably not for children although I recall my parents taking me and my younger brother and sister to see the original cast of the Rocky Horror Show in kings road. Us kids were gob smacked yet inspired.  @multitudemedia thank you  #cabaret #circus #christmastheatre #london
A quick butternut squash soup in the @vitamixuk wi A quick butternut squash soup in the @vitamixuk with Austrian pumpkin oil and pistachios as I’d run out of pumpkin seeds. Served in enamel mugs (I love enamel, it’s lightweight and unbreakable . The chips just give it more character. #soup #autumn #enamelware
I went to the most fabulous dinner tonight in this I went to the most fabulous dinner tonight in this old theatre near London Bridge, with actors playing the roles of famous French cheeses. The food was great, the company charming, the atmosphere, like being at the Kit Kat club in cabaret, and le fromage divine. #enjoyitsfromeurope #cheeseatheart #cheesesfromfrance #frenchloveaffair
Lebu or Bengali lemon in Whitechapel. These are so Lebu or Bengali lemon in Whitechapel. These are so floral. You just use the zest, there isn’t much juice or flesh. A pound each which is cheap. Just turn left out of Whitechapel station and most of the greengrocers have them. Do not confuse with lime. These are big and knobbly. #london #citrus #elizabethline #bengalifood
Incredibly cute single grilled sandwich maker made Incredibly cute single grilled sandwich maker made in Singapore @brunohotplateuk it comes in pink, lilac and red. It has multiple attachments for donuts, tarts, waffles, taiyaki fish waffles. Going to try it out tomorrow. Love the design and colours, it’s sturdiness- it’s metal. It’s sort of barbie industrial. #kaiwai #kitchengadgets #design #toasties #taiyaki #
Home grown poblano chillies. They didn’t reach t Home grown poblano chillies. They didn’t reach the size of one’s from Mexico, which are more like bell papers. But it’s virtually impossible to get fresh poblanos in the UK. It’s a shame as they are very mild, a more interesting flavour than bell peppers. They are wonderful stuffed, in soup or to make the Mexican national dish - poblanos with walnut sauce. #londongarden #londonmexicanfood
I’ve been doing the tube game, no cheating, no c I’ve been doing the tube game, no cheating, no conferring. This score means I’m officially a nerd according to @helenlewisposts I’ve always thought if I were kidnapped and held in solitary Terry Waite style, that this is how I’d pass my time, remembering every stop on the London Underground. They should do one for the paris metro. I lived in paris for 5 years so I wonder how I’d do with that. This is the link if you want to have a go: https://london.metro-memory.com
Russell Norman’s latest book Brutto @bru.tto all Russell Norman’s latest book Brutto @bru.tto all about florentine food and Tuscan recipes. Beautifully designed, great photos. Recipes include florence favourites such as panini con lampredotto ( tripe- not for me thanks), schiacciata, negronis. Can’t say I’m a fan of salt less Tuscan bread though ( introduced due to the salt tax) but Russell explains it’s never supposed to be eaten on its own but as a mop for highly flavoured sauce. There are a lot of neat recipes but also plenty of vegetarian ones. Want to try the sugar caramelised pecorino. The book has the Russell Norman trademark of an exposed and stitched spine. Lovely design as ever. One for the Christmas lists. Also thankyou to @eburybooks for their quick efficiency in sending me the book. I do review books: for my blog, for social media and also for newspapers. Yet I struggle to get hard copies of books- looking @murdochbooks_uk for instance. I’ve asked for @tessakiros and @missfoodwise latest books but impossible. Sometimes publishers say we can send an e version. NO! Books are physical objects: the paper, the typeface the feel are all important otherwise I’ll just read a website. Also writers get paid SO little the least publishers can do is send you an actual book. Do they expect us to buy the copies? I find they’ll often send some shitty little TV cook or minor celebrity book or my particular personal horror- wellness books- but not actually something you want to review. Rant over. Not the authors fault but the publishers. #cookbook #review #publishers
Ophelias first birthday party. I made a smash cake Ophelias first birthday party. I made a smash cake: something babies have now, which means they can ‘smash’ it or plunge their face in. It was sugar free, gluten free etc. but Ophelia was rather refined while picking at it. She’s a little lady. Lots of presents, food, cakes, babies, tears and tantrums ( the latter from mum and grandma) #granfluencer
Happy first birthday to my granddaughter Ophelia. Happy first birthday to my granddaughter Ophelia. It’s brilliant being a grandma, nostalgia for the time my daughter was a baby. Having children is so interesting. It’s hard but worth it. I’m making her a smash cake for her party tomorrow. Find out more then… #granfluencer #ophelia #firstbirthday  1) & 2) Ophelia aprés Dégas  3) munchkin pumpkin.  4) winsome  5) bit rheumy with her mum.  6) trying on grandma’s sliders.  7) she has a teeny light up electric toothbrush with which she can clean her 4 teeth.  8) dress from portobello £2 and she has the most brilliant laugh.  9) her eyes have now turned golden brown but here she still had the new born’s blue eyes.
As it’s #worldpastaday I’ve made a little reel As it’s #worldpastaday I’ve made a little reel of my few days in Firenze or Florence. It’s horrendously crowded but glowing with golden romance. At the central market you can eat the local focaccia sandwiches ‘schiacciata’ often with tripe ‘lampredotto’ (boak), or pasta with truffles. Elsewhere you can drink affogato , a small coffee with gelato, you can walk over the pontevecchio bridge, lined with glinting jewellery shops, you can visit the uffizi gallery, the painted ceilings, the cherubs, the somber and carnal portraits, you can crane your neck up to the green and cream marble stripes of the churches, you can visit the paper makers of hand marbled stationery, and at the end of the day you drink a perfect sunset negroni with aperitivo snacks then take the tram to your hotel and plan to visit again when it’s quieter. When is it quiet? January? October was rammed. #travelandfood #solotravel #florence #firenze #italy
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover