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Guardian Life & Style (US) • Jan. 14, 2026, 2:14 p.m.
My work went from air-conditioned offices to delivering food on a bike. The culture shock is significant | David Rayfield
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The plan was to get on a bicycle to earn some money. It wasn’t to get hit by cars, thumped by skinheads or to see my surroundings in a whole new light Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email At first I didn’t realise I’d been punched.
I’m not sure why my brain assumed a bird had flown into me, but I suppose a magpie attack was more likely than a random bloke lashing out at my ribcage, so it took a second to realise what was happening. I was on my bike, waiting in a sidestreet for traffic to clear.
The punch came from behind and by the time my mouth let fly a few expletives, the culprit was leaving. Then he caught wind of my colourful language and turned back to get in my face.
I’m not sure why my brain assumed a bird had flown into me, but I suppose a magpie attack was more likely than a random bloke lashing out at my ribcage, so it took a second to realise what was happening. I was on my bike, waiting in a sidestreet for traffic to clear.
The punch came from behind and by the time my mouth let fly a few expletives, the culprit was leaving. Then he caught wind of my colourful language and turned back to get in my face.
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