How is the expression ‘an Indian’ not offensive?

[Yellownotblue]

As in, an Indian take away or delivery meal.

I find it quite odd to hear one specific type of cuisine referred to like this. Would you say “ we’re going for a French tonight” or “he invited me to his place for an Italian”? Somehow it seems dismissive and disrespectful.

For full disclosure, I’m not Indian but my husband is of Asian ancestry and our children have dual heritage. I’m British (first generation migrant). I was born and brought up in North America and can’t remember the expression ‘an Indian’ ever being used as short for Indian food before I moved to Britain.

I have always liked this sketch of going for 'an English'

@Yellownotblue

I’m specifically referring to abbreviating it to ‘an Indian’. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they were going for ‘an Italian’. Maybe I’m wrong or it’s a regional thing?

Get a life 😱

Going for an English is one of the funniest things ever.

All this thread has achieved is to make me really want a Chinese tonight

There used to be a restaurant, near where I lived, called "That Turkish Place", which I thought was a great name!

@Staffy1 and @lalafafa saying they hate the term fish supper and ask why people say it - fish supper is the term used in Scotland for fish and chips. The menu board in every chippy north of the border will list prices for each item as "single" and "supper". Single is no chips, supper is with chips.

@GreenlandTheMovie

Op - do you know there's a chain of restaurants called "Thai Me Up in..." (and then the name of the city)? I actually objected to the name in the planning application for one of those, but was told it was not a valid concern.

But abbreviation "Indian takeaway" to Indian? Like, a "full English breakfast" is abbreviated to a"full English"? Come on now! Or what about the highly offensive "going Dutch"! This is ridiculous, OP.

In Southampton there is a strip club called 'For Your Eyes Only' and next door was a Thai that was called 'For your Thais only' which I thought was hilarious but I think they must have been made to change it because the name had changed last time I was there.

YANBU OP My husband is a carpenter and gets really upset when people say they are 'going for a chippy'

I think the distinction between Indian, Chinese and other common 'takeaway cuisines' and say French (aside from French not being a takeaway cuisine, normally only a restaurant one), is that there is a generic Indian cuisine in the UK, whereas there is not a generic French cuisine.

French food, or German, or Spanish, is more peculiar to the particular restaurant, you wouldn't be able to predict exactly what dishes you'd be offered.

Indian food in the UK does vary, of course and there are some very fancy and now lots of regional Indian restaurants. But the 'mass Indian cuisine' we're all familiar with was established from the 1960s onwards, by people, mostly from Bangladesh, who were not cooks. They came here, spotted a niche in the (bland, post-war) food market and used a lot of generic pre-made sauces to achieve a standarised, nationwide cuisine.

That is the food we're usually talking about when we 'go for an Indian'. (Not always, there is increasing variation) but generally, its 'generic British-Indian curry house cuisine'.

Of course the proliferation and familiarity of Indian restaurants here is linked to Britain's colonial past. Just as in the Netherlands it's Indonesian and Malaysian restaurants.

Why would it be offensive? It's what it is.

*there was a Thai restaurant in case the abbreviation is found offensive by someone

I think for me the rule is that it has to be one of the classic takeaway cuisines - so mainly Chinese or Indian. I can’t imagine myself saying that I fancy a Cambodian or a Georgian tonight, for example. Sounds a bit contrived. Though I think others would find it natural based on this thread.

I also think “an Italian” is far less common than it was because Italian takeaway food tends to be pizza, so easier to just say that. Same with burgers, fried chicken, etc. - it would be weird if someone said they were going for an American if that was what they wanted!

I also use this before specific restaurant and takeaway names. “I’m having a Mughli /Good Fortune / Rudy’s / Burger King tonight” if discussing with someone else who knows the place. Nationality of cuisine wouldn’t come into it then.

I do feel that op has jumped to the conclusion that if there is a difference between UK and us usage then it’s most likely to be explained by racism on the British side. That I do find offensive.

In our house we call it an Indiebum, because of the inevitable consequences. That probably is a bit more offensive

Strangest thread in a while. And yes OP - I do say I'm having a Chinese/Thai/Indian etc - its not offensive. My BF is Indian, I wish she was on here so she could join the chorus' of bore off tbqh

@Yellownotblue

Maybe it’s a class or regional thing. I literally have never heard anyone say ‘going for an Italian’. It’s just “lesser” (ethnic) cuisines that are referred to that way.

I just posted out of curiosity. No need to get all agitated. I’ve read all the answers and taking it all on board. I’m interested in linguistics.

I don't think class comes into it. Maybe regional perhaps.

But yes, 'going for an Italian' is a normal,phrase in the same way as 'having an Indian' 'going for a Mexican',etc is used.

Simply a shortening of an Indian meal.

I very much doubt anyone uses it to be offensive and I certainly wouldn't consider anyone saying it negatively either.

I am half Pakistani which I know is not Indian however am still mixed race and have encountered racism before but I can honestly say I do not class saying am going for a Indian as racist. I say are ordering Chinese, or if we are having Turkish food I refer to it as Turkish food same with Italian, oh we went to a Italian restaurant or we cooked Italian food last night.

It's normal here.
Put down your offense searching binoculars.
Fancy a Chinese, an Indian, a KFC,
It's applying a label to food cuisine types to differentiate.
Or should it be a spicy type of food from the Indian subcontinent?🙄
Or noodley food from China? 🙄
I work for an L. A and am sick of all this perpetually offended bollocks.

Surely 'going for a McDonald's ' is offensive to some Scots...

I'm north American and saying getting a Chinese is pretty normal. What area of the USA are you from?

Fwiw we use this when talking about a sit down meal too for those referring specifically to takeaway. We go out for an Indian or Italian. As for fish supper being an attempt to be posh. It's standard language countywide here for the addition of chips to your fish or battered haggis. On its own you orders single fish if you want chips you order a fish supper. No attempts at being posh intended - that's when we go for a chippy

We'd say that about other cuisines. "Shall we go for an Italian/Chinese/Turkish..."

@Spanielsarepainless

Surely 'going for a McDonald's ' is offensive to some Scots...

Or to that old man who gad a farm...

The OP’s attitude to a full English breakfast amused me.
The most enormous, laden-plate fried breakfasts I’ve ever seen were American breakfasts.

In America.

@TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe

I hope you don't get started on the phrase "eating out" OP....

Good point, anything connected with "eating" as in "the act of putting something in your mouth" "to give you satisfaction" "and as a human necessity" could be considered highly sexualised, sexist language.

And the OP's username "Yellownotblue" is actually quite offensive (no, I don't appreciate the irony of me writing this) as the Y-word is an offensive and dated term to describe people of a certain ethnic origin. Maybe she doesn't mean to use it in a racist way but that is no excuse - you wouldn't chuck the N-word into your username regardless of whether you intended to be offensive.

Actually my user name refers to the political situation in Hong Kong where I used to live. Yellow and blue are colours associated with two political factions. Nothing to do with ethnic origin.

Who is looking for offence now?

@lottiegarbanzo

I think the distinction between Indian, Chinese and other common 'takeaway cuisines' and say French (aside from French not being a takeaway cuisine, normally only a restaurant one), is that there is a generic Indian cuisine in the UK, whereas there is not a generic French cuisine.

French food, or German, or Spanish, is more peculiar to the particular restaurant, you wouldn't be able to predict exactly what dishes you'd be offered.

Indian food in the UK does vary, of course and there are some very fancy and now lots of regional Indian restaurants. But the 'mass Indian cuisine' we're all familiar with was established from the 1960s onwards, by people, mostly from Bangladesh, who were not cooks. They came here, spotted a niche in the (bland, post-war) food market and used a lot of generic pre-made sauces to achieve a standarised, nationwide cuisine.

That is the food we're usually talking about when we 'go for an Indian'. (Not always, there is increasing variation) but generally, its 'generic British-Indian curry house cuisine'.

Of course the proliferation and familiarity of Indian restaurants here is linked to Britain's colonial past. Just as in the Netherlands it's Indonesian and Malaysian restaurants.

Yes, I think this accounts for my ‘classic takeaway rule’. I don’t think I’d describe eating at a restaurant specialising in a regional cuisine or with an unusual menu as “going for an Indian / Chinese” - the latter is for those places with long menus, at least 80% of which is in common with others.

Not that there’s anything wrong with this - they hit the spot - but I don’t differentiate between them as I would with more specific restaurants. Hence “an Indian, a pizza, a full English” - shorthand because we all know what they are.