On: Takeaway

[lexh]

All the staff at my local coffee shop ask “for stay or for takeaway?”

They never deviate from this exact script and I find it grating every single time. Coffee is decent though so I let it slide.

Edit: “local” meaning Southern California.

[bee_rider → lexh]

That’s bizarre, is the owner British or something? “Here or to go?” is the standard in the US as far as I’m concerned.

[joelegner → bee_rider]

I prefer "to go" over "takeaway" for two essentially meaningless reasons:

First, _go_ is older than _away_. According to Etymology Online, go dates back to Old English ("gan"), while away in sense of "at a distance" is from 1712. Second, I get to save a syllable.

So "to go" is older and less effortful than "takeaway". Also, both work.

[golergka → bee_rider]

"Takeaway" is also the term used in many non-english speaking countries (by waiters who speak very limited English).