Panic on the streets of Dalston; cardiac arrest on the streets of Boro

Dalston Sainsbury's were giving away free panic alarms to all of their customers today.

I feel like maybe there's a point to be made there about the inextricable and mutually self-propelling drivers of fear and consumerism in late capitalist society.

But it's almost too easy, really.



On Teesside dysphoria is medicated with protein:

'The parmo goes national' on the Observer food blog

The 'Meat Feast Parmo' I ordered for £6.50 consisted of a chicken escalope marginally smaller than a satellite dish, deep fried in breadcrumbs, covered in béchamel sauce and melted cheddar cheese, and then topped with pepperoni, bacon, more cheese, and ladles of creamy garlic sauce. The one bit of protein the parmo does not seem to contain is parmesan.

This extraordinary beast of a late-night 'snack' is served with a mountain of chips and the most sarcastic portion of salad you've ever seen in your life. I ate a third of it with gusto, paused, came up for air, and suddenly felt quite ill.