Saturday night: a group of 3 of us met at burger bar Super Awesome Deluxe in the Northern Quarter. Good burger and fries. Meetup with Manchester Nightlife that I nearly cancelled.
Further updates on this online social group I joined, and the breakaway group from this affectionately called the ‘Adopted Family’ - I met met with them a week ago on Saturday and they all seemed like good people. I was conscious that I’m already building communities with Manchester Nightlife and Manchester Psychology Social, but I figured I’d spent that long in a WhatsApp chat with them that I might as well meet face to face with a few of the group on a night out.
Sandinista was… Not my kind of place. I wasn’t sure I was really gelling. But I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Yesterday, I was attending a second meetup with Wisdom Way, a group about mindfulness and awareness. An interesting discussion about a poem called ‘There is no There,’ which may have had something to do with American Gertrude Stein, perhaps something she wrote or was inspired by it. Pleasant folk and good vegan hot chocolate in Northern Quarter’s Hinterland, but a bit too spiritual for me. I’m more into the hard science of psychology.
But anyway, I’d been to this group and was in town already, so figured I’d see this Adopted Family again. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.
At least the plan was to stay indoors this time (as opposed to freezing my balls off in Shambles Square), and get food in Home, the theatre and art exhibition in First Street. I got a pineapple juice, a chargrilled halloumi and double house salad, which cost me fifteen bastard quid. It was nice enough. The group were good people, well intentioned and everything. Some I’d met last time, some I’d seen come up in the WhatsApp chat. But I didn’t feel I had that much in common. The banter wasn’t flowing and I was fading into the background.
Then I paid, ducked out, went home and had a curry night with my actual family. We ordered in a ton of curries, shashlik, breads, saag aloo and rices. Better convo, food and prices, more to the point.
I’m still in this ‘Adopted Family’ WhatsApp chat, but for how long I don’t know.
Big Brother’s Jess Impiazzi liked my story. I wished her happy birthday.
So anyway. This is a Prospective Mondays post. What’s happening this week?
I still haven’t actually met with the original Social MCR group, despite all their controversy. I noticed that, on Sunday this week, they’re heading to Grub’s East Asian Food Fair. Touted as an ‘annual celebration of East Asian Street Food, the event runs from 12pm to 6pm and features food from Beasty Baos, Wok Bros and Mary’s Cakery Makery. I honestly can’t remember exactly how I got into Social MCR, but I’ve managed to share a link to allow others to join. I’m not sure how long it will be active.I gather it's a ticketed event. I might go.
https://t.co/t9nBKvF9cU Manchester Social Discord Server. Social events in the city
— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matthewtuckey) March 10, 2025
Ironically, some of the people in this picture then went on to form the breakaway group that I later got invited to and went out with last night. But I’ll give this food fair a shot.
Before that, though - the night before - Manchester Nightlife meetup are out again, this time in Spinningfields. There are a handful of bars we've not been to there yet. 9pm Saturday, Oast House.
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