The owner of an independent Manchester restaurant has shared a heartfelt thank you to the visitors that showed their support over the weekend.
Hundreds of hungry people were spotted queueing around the block for a chance to get into The Thirsty Korean restaurant in Chorlton this past Sunday after Sacha Lord announced he’d be footing the bill and paying for everyone’s food and drink.
The Parklife and Warehouse Project co-creator told people to the most of his card being behind the till at the Manchester Road restaurant as he promised to cover all costs on the night from between 4pm and 10:15pm, regardless of how many visitors turn up.
Lord revealed he had chosen The Thirsty Korean to support as he had previously met with the owner, Eunji Noh – who he called “amazing” and said has “great pride in what she does” – and explained that he first became aware of the restaurant after Eunji was reported as having been bullied and was suffering racist abuse in the midst of advertising her business.
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The Altrincham-born businessman encouraged Mancs to “stand up to the bullies” and “rinse me” by turning out to show their support for the beloved indie restaurant.
After the event proved to be so successful, with hundreds making their way down and many even struggling to get in, owner Eunji Noh has taken to The Thirsty Korean’s official social media pages to share her “thousand thanks” to the public in a heartfelt message.
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She also explained why the support means to her.
We’ve seen neighbours coming out and offering people in the queue cups of tea. Manchester at its finest.
“A thousand thanks… no no no…. a zillion thanks for visiting us,” Eunji said on social media, as she revealed her difficulty journey to this point after founding the restaurant in 2019.
She continued: “I arrived in Manchester in October 2018. Opened The Thirsty Korean in June 2019, and I was busy for five weeks until lockdown started due to COVID in March 2020.
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“All I had was the money I made over the last five weeks [plus] a Government grant, which I spent on venue lease and standing bills. When I was able to reopen again in June 2020, I had about £700 left in my business bank [which] I had to decide [if I would use to] buy a flight ticket to go back to Korea and drop everything here, no more The Thirsty Korean, or buy minimum ingredients for food and pouring beers as possible just to reopen.”
Eunji explained that she chose the latter of the two choices, but then made a “wrong decision” by working with a marketing company that “didn’t guarantee any outcome” and had to continue not being paid and doing everything she could and using all she had just to “maintain the business”.
She continued: “Since last year, I was hit by energy price hikes and the expensive prices of all imported ingredients. I am very honest here now, I had to put all of my money just to pay electricity bills which was charging us over £1,600 only for three weeks… [and] this year, we are facing alcohol prices being more expensive again.
“This is not only my story. This is what every independent business is going through. Many of them went through much worse and had to close forever.
“I am lucky that I have survived this far.”
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Closing out her statement, Eunji thanked everyone once again for visiting The Thirsty Korean over the weekend, and urged people to continue to “be supportive to local indies” and praised those businesses for helping to make local communities “diverse and beautiful”.
Manchester streaming platform StreamGM unveils four-part creative industry careers podcast
Thomas Melia
A new four-partpodcast by StreamGM featuring some of Greater Manchester’s top creatives has launched with the aim of powering creative careers.
Produced by Rebecca Swarray, a.k.a. ‘RebeccaNeverBecky’ – the founder of the Manchester events and arts collective – this podcast is designed to “ignite and elevate creative careers in music.”
Swarray deep dives into the current Manc music scene and beyond with the help of fellow insiders who vary upon each episode.
There are four parts in this latest series and there’s lots to cover, especially in an industry that’s ever-changing and ever-challenging.
Some of the guests and speakers you can expect to listen to on ‘ICAM’ (In Conversations and Masterclasses)Credit: StreamGM/The Manc Group
Listeners can expect to learn all about ‘Women Behind The Music’ as part of the In Conversations and Masterclasses series with Sophie Bee, Sara Garvey and Kat Brown.
The next episode delves into another key music industry area, ‘Promoters, Venues And Events’, which is broken down by Baz Plug One, Strutty, Tashadean Wood and Liv McCafferty.
‘Artist Development And Management’ features Karen Boardman, Karen Gabay, Damian Morgan, and Via Culpan deep in discussion.
The final episode in this four-part series is ‘Videography And Photography In The Creative Industries’, which sees Johan Reitan, Alice Kanako and Ahmani Vidal talking all things visual.
These four features will be an incredible resource for any creative talents as it put together by professionals for upcoming professionals of any age from any background, race, gender and walk of life.
After all, that’s what is all about, right?
Abbreviated to ‘ICAM’, the podcast is certainly one to check out, with for aspiring artist managers, producers, photographers, promoters—anyone driven to make their mark in music and events.
These podcast sessions understand industry challenges, explore career journeys, creative influences, crisis management and lots more creative field concerns.
You can find the first episode in full down below:
The first episode of the new limited StreamGM podcast.
This run of shows is the second instalment by StreamGM: Greater Manchester’s phenomenal streaming platform dedicated to all things music, nightlife and culture.
Whether you’re a budding creative arts talent or just curious to find out insights into this wonderful innovative industry, you can listen to all the episodes from the series directly on StreamGM HERE.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester music news, another very special event is kicking off very soon:
Featured Images — Publicity Picture (Supplied)/The Manc Group
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Comedy is being prescribed instead of antidepressants as part of UK trials
Emily Sergeant
Trials are currently underway to see if comedy could be an alternative to antidepressants as a way to reduce NHS costs.
UK tech company Craic Health has secured important funding for its ‘comedy on prescription’ project that’s aimed at helping the Government work with the comedy industry, communities, and organisations on comedy-based social prescriptions in the hope that they can solve financial struggles within the NHS.
The groundbreaking scheme uses stand-up shows and workshops to help people who are isolated, lonely, and vulnerable.
Craic believes comedy is an ‘untapped opportunity’ to improve health and wellbeing, and has a goal to make comedy easier to access, so that it can help communities experience its mental health and social benefits.
To achieve this, the company has started trialling Comedy-on-Prescription experiences in the UK – starting in London, with the potential for expansion – which includes things like curated comedy panel game show events and workshops, and general stand-up comedy shows at some of the capital’s world-famous venues.
Comedy is being prescribed instead of antidepressants as part of UK trials / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“Mental health issues like loneliness, isolation, and stress are more common than ever,” the company explains.
“So much so that it’s projected that by 2030, mental health problems, particularly depression, will be the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally, [but] in this challenging world, comedy stands out as a universal language that breaks barriers.
“Research shows that comedy and laughter have powerful effects – they bring people together, create positive connections, and make life more enjoyable.”
Craic Health says that social prescribing, of which Comedy-on-Prescription is a part of, is all about inclusivity, which makes it making it suitable for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Its focus is on personalised support, tailored to individual needs and preferences.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd August 2023 
