A Takeaway Memory Test

[steepholm]

I've been trying to remember (without looking it up) at what point in my lifetime certain kinds of takeaway restaurant became commonplace in the UK. By "commonplace" I don't mean "available somewhere in the country" but "available in a typical mid-sized city" - say, a Derby, a Southampton or a Swansea.

This is my impression (but remember I lived my first 18 years in a small market town, so my knowledge is limited):

Common from before I was born: Fish and Chip shops, Chinese takeaways

1960s on: Indian takeaways and other curry houses

Around 1975-80: American-style hamburger and pizza places (Wimpys had been around longer than that, but seems a bit different in my mind, and not that commonly encountered)

1980s: Kebab houses

1990s on - everything else.

Is that reasonable? Have I left anything out, or got anything badly wrong? Remember, I'm not talking about London or the other really big cities - and of course cities with large immigrant populations from a particular country would probably have that country's food ready in takeaway form earlier.

Also, when did people start saying "to go" instead of "to take away" in this country? My impression is that this Americanism started in coffee shops like Starbucks and spread from there, which would put it the early years of this century. Do you agree?

And, on a different topic, have you noticed that "tsunami" has now almost entirely replaced "tidal wave" in common usage? It was not always so! On the other hand, I sense that "rickshaw" is being edged out by "tuk tuk", so the tide of Japanese-origin words is not entirely unchecked.

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I would have said you had Chinese takeaways opening too early. I don't remember the first Chinese restaurants opening in Manchester until the mid to late 60s. Though of course that may have varied from place to place.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

It may well have varied, as you say. I always heard (with what truth I don't know) that many were opened by retired navy cooks from Hong Kong, and if that right I suppose one might expect a greater concentration near naval ports. Growing up in Hampshire - i.e. not too far from Portsmouth - I suppose it's not surprising that there was one even in my small town around that time.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I would expect ports to have a well-established Chinese community well before inland towns did. I know that Liverpool certainly did and though Manchester is now famed for its Chinese quarter, it wasn't there when I left home in 1970, or, if it was there, it was small and to all intents and purposes, invisible.