Still on the subject of not cooking do you ever have a take away ?

We did have a couple of click and collect tkeaways during lockdown, when there was no alternative . But, generally, I cannot be bothered, I would rather sit in the restaurant/cafe and eat it on-site. The one exception is fish and chips.

We have fish and chips every Friday evening. We walk there and eat inside. Collected it to take home during lockdown. I don’t understand the opposition to takeaways unless it’s due to the cost which has risen a lot recently. It’s good to have an occasional break from cooking and a night off from the usual routine. Moderation is the key!

I think it depends on the quality. The Chinese restaurant I use does a couple of authentic basic dishes which I like. Other than that, no. I've tried them but don't like them.

I think takeaways can go in the "daily mail" pile.
Ok, as long as you don't enjoy them.

The only takeaway I've ordered is coffee and cake when my kitchen was being worked on and even then I went and picked it up.
We go to our local fish and chip shop a couple of times a year, but I wouldn't class that as takeaway.

Tandoori take away beside me makes the best pizza but they are huge...Too much for hubby and I....They also sell kids box with pizza and chips for 5pds...Excellent for us so we treat ourself to these now and again...x

I honestly can't understand how people are generalising so much.

Where I live there are Chinese, Indian, Italian, Greek and Thai restaurants all offering delivery as well as the chippy and pizza takeaways. The restaurant deliveries are from the same menu that they serve inside, and are no more likely to have additives or too much salt or whatever than restaurant meals.

Saying you don't like takeaways is the same as saying you don't like restaurants, which seems to me odd, as there is such a wide range of possibilities.

We don't have a lot of takeaways - when we do we tend to be at the house of one or other of our DCs. We'd have a Chinese or a curry once a month or so back in the day, but now we're not working we have more time to eat out instead. We did have quite a lot during the lockdowns, when so many of our local pubs and restaurants started offering takeaways and we wanted to support them (that's our excuse and we're sticking to it!). And we've stayed with one of them for an occasional treat - a Greek restaurant that delivers the most delicious spanakopita and moussaka on a Friday afternoon only.

Oh, and yes, fish and chips. Usually on a Saturday.

Hardly ever here. Used to occasionally when we had a very good Thai down the road, but it’s no more. ?

We do now and then at dd’s, because they’ve got a very good chippy and a SE Asian/Japanese nearby - Gdcs like sushi and I like anything with lots of veg and noodles. ?

On the odd days when I really CBA to cook, we get a couple of ready meals - usually M&S or Waitrose. After being based in Jakarta for a year, Dh really likes the Waitrose Nasi Goreng.

I’m with you, Doodledog, I can’t see the difference in a restaurant meal and a takeaway.

Doodledog there is more to a takeaway than the food. It is waiting for the delivery, having to eat at home on your own plates and doing all the washing up.

Generally speaking, I would rather go and eat out than have a takeaway. Twice this week we have eaten out. The first on the spur of the moment, I have not been well recently and had 'a one step back' day and did not feel up to preparing a meal, so we drove round to a local pub, had one course and a drink, but had our post lunch coffee at home. We could have ordered a takeaway, but I just find eating takeaways at home is not a treat, but one step down from preparing food myself.

The second time was with a friend who was staying and we booked a table. In both cases so much more enjoyable than having the meals delivered to the door, just dumped in containers and looking so dull when put on a plate.

That’s fair enough Monica. I don’t blame you for not wanting to wash up etc!

I think what Doodledog and I are questioning is the idea that takeaways are somehow unhealthy compared to the same meal in a restaurant.

Family tradition was a Chinese take away on the last day of each school term - I was usually just too tired by then to even think of cooking! The take-away was very good.

Excellent fish and chip shop here so we have that every now and then.

I always collect food. My brother once had a holiday job delivering pizzas. He has many tales to tell. Once he took the pizza to an upstairs flat but the person was locked in - partner had gone out taking the key with them and had double-locked the door by mistake. My brother had to post the pizza in bits through the letter box!

I guess it depends on where you get them from, then.

The restaurant ones we get are very good. We do eat out, although we got out of the habit in lockdown (and I had a very long and very strict lockdown for health reasons), and enjoy eating in where we can order on the spur of the moment, choose our own music and enjoy one another's company without interruption. I don't mind putting a couple of plates in the dishwasher in return.

Each to their own though - as I say, I enjoy eating out, too. In fact, I just enjoy eating .

Surely if as restaurant offers an eat in/takeout service, you are eating the same food.

I can understand that if somewhere is takeaway only, people may be worried about quality and ingredients, because, as far as I can see, take away only outlets, tend to be bottom of the market and charge the lowest prices and I would certainly be cautious about where the cuts were being made to keep the prices low.

Surely if as restaurant offers an eat in/takeout service, you are eating the same food.

Yes, hence my confusion . I live in a small town, with no chain takeaways, so all of them are restaurants apart from the chippy (and even it has a couple of tables inside) and the pizza one, which is a family concern and very good.

It's exactly the same food, but we have a choice of meat or veggie, we don't have to cook it, we don't have to book, and we can eat it in front of the telly if we choose to. Oh, and it's 20% cheaper, too - what's not to like

We have an Indian meal roughly every three months. As I’ve known the family for at least twenty years there is plenty to talk about and catch up on as I watch them cook it. No matter how hard I try I cannot produce meals to equal theirs

TBH, I'd eat take away more often, if the types of food I enjoy were good and available. But as it is, the Mexican is so far away if it were delivered, it'd be cold by the time it arrived. And the middle eastern place I used to like has changed hands. Same menu, food is now terrible.

If I want meh food, I can just have a frozen meal. For a fraction of the cost.

aonk

We have fish and chips every Friday evening. We walk there and eat inside. Collected it to take home during lockdown. I don’t understand the opposition to takeaways unless it’s due to the cost which has risen a lot recently. It’s good to have an occasional break from cooking and a night off from the usual routine. Moderation is the key!

The fat content of a fish supper worries me as DH has had heart trouble and I keep fat to a minimun when cooking at home .

Chewbacca

I had a very rare Chinese take away a few months ago and, because it's such a rare treat for me, I'd been really looking forward to it, but it was just inedible. Far too salty and just seemed a gloopy, inedible mess, that was a complete waste of money. I tried a take away fish and chips last week, again a rare treat because it's so expensive now. Fish was in a soggy lump of pallid batter that I had to scrape off, and the chips were greasy and limp. It will be a long time before I bother again.

DH had a friend who owned a very popular Chinese restaurant and they wouldn’t dream of eating the food that was sold in their restaurant. Far too greasy and salty. I’ve never had a Kentucky Fried Chicken. I’m not sure that I’d like one but it is on my tick list of things I must experience.

GagaJo

TBH, I'd eat take away more often, if the types of food I enjoy were good and available. But as it is, the Mexican is so far away if it were delivered, it'd be cold by the time it arrived. And the middle eastern place I used to like has changed hands. Same menu, food is now terrible.

If I want meh food, I can just have a frozen meal. For a fraction of the cost.

Some takeaways are brilliant though, we’ve got one near us which cooks everything in front of you. They don’t even do a delivery service but it’s worth collecting yourself. I don’t think takeaway implies home delivery - I usually collect wherever I’m getting mine from, then it’s hotter and fresher - particularly pizza.

M0nica

Surely if as restaurant offers an eat in/takeout service, you are eating the same food.

I can understand that if somewhere is takeaway only, people may be worried about quality and ingredients, because, as far as I can see, take away only outlets, tend to be bottom of the market and charge the lowest prices and I would certainly be cautious about where the cuts were being made to keep the prices low.

I agree Monica, I recently had my sister visiting and we wanted a Chinese takeaway on a Monday. The local restaurant I usually use does not open on a Monday so I used Just Eat to deliver one from a place that does takeaways only. It was nowhere near as good as the meal from the restaurant, rather salty yet flavourless and poorly presented. I think I’ll stick to the restaurant and remember not to plan a takeaway on a Monday!

I agree Casdon. The Chinese place near me is walking distance away.

I only like 2 or 3 basic things from it. They're very similar to real food I ate in China. I'd never eat the stuff in sauces. Far too sickly and salty. I've tried 2 or 3 other places (when the local one) was closed for a holiday. Food was terrible.

Most of the ones we use deliver now, but only since lockdown. They must have found that it paid them to continue to do so, as people have got used to it.

We tend to opt for delivery or collection depending on how busy they are. If we have to wait more than half an hour it's quicker to go and get it.