Sometimes statistics is stupid and pointless but sometimes it serves a valid and useful purpose. I’m not talking about political analytical numbers, that’s all bollocks, similarly drug trials, who needs ‘em? But they did a big analysis about take-out food. Now that is important. And exceptionally interesting.

Mainly because this ‘fish’n’chip nation’ is losing its love of its signature dish. Which is so incredibly British that it can now only really, authentically be made by Greeks, Turks and Bangladeshis.

Unsurprisingly, or possibly very surprisingly, take-out preferences are generational. Old people still love fish’n’chips, the young would rather have pizza or Chinese. When I was 64 I was far less likely to eat fish’n’chips than the moment I turned 65. Amazing. The things I didn’t know about myself, phah! My kids never order fish’n’chips and Lila and Joey will probably never know what it ‘was’. Like ‘spam’. (The sort-of-food, not the email variety).

Even more bizarre is that those who wished us to leave the European Union, the ‘Leavers’, are far more likely to get fish’n’chips than us ‘Remainers’. Possibly because they’re generally less aware of life’s realities than we are, possibly because they’re fatter, or maybe just because they like fish’n’chips because “iss Britttish, innit!!!”, I really don’t know. The statisticians didn’t delve that far. I may apply for a grant for further study.

Indian food, my own personal fave, came out in the middle. Which upset me. Although we never in fact get an Indian take-away, nor really many others. That’s generational too, cos the kids do.

The study mentioned neither demographics nor geographical considerations. Like, if you live in Shoreditch you can get 472 different varieties of food, from Thai to Tanzanian, from Chinese to Chechnyan, from Pizza to Patagonian Lamb. Whereas if you’re in Burnley, the options will be more limited. Chinky or Coorreh, pizza or pies. The rich will eat differently to the poor. They always fucking do. And its delivered by horse-drawn carriage rather than a moped with a box on the back.

I think we actually need more studies on this subject. And I’m going to volunteer for the eating part.

Happy Wednesday

A xxxx