# What does your family call sliced lunch meat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207 "2019-03-16T00:00:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/1 "2019-03-16T00:00:02Z")
Sliced lunch meat goes by several names. Cold Cuts Deli meat Lunch meat Sandwich meat Sliced Meat It can be simple like sliced ham or roast beef. Or more exotic like liverwurst, salami, or pickle loaf. There’s at least 10 varieties of sandwich meat at the grocery store. What does your family call this heavily salted delight? 😉 What region of the country are you from? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/2 "2019-03-16T00:06:15Z")
I didn’t vote because we use all of them except ‘sandwich meat’. Although I think cold cuts and deli meat are the ones we use the most. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/3 "2019-03-16T00:10:40Z")
My grandparents called it lunch meat. I think most Southerners do too? The poll will confirm or reject this idea My parents say Cold Cuts. I think that got started when we lived in Massachusetts for seven years. My wife and I also say Cold Cuts. I voted cold cuts. We’re from the South. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/4 "2019-03-16T00:17:49Z")
Cold cuts. Syracuse NY . ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/5 "2019-03-16T00:22:30Z")
I call it by whatever thing it’s made from, i.e., sliced ham, sliced chicken, bologna, etc. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/6 "2019-03-16T00:29:00Z")
Cold cuts. You go to the deli to get cold cuts. Albany NY. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/7 "2019-03-16T00:29:04Z")
The really thinly sliced stuff (e.g. Buddig) my family used to call “washcloths.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/8 "2019-03-16T00:29:25Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I call it by whatever thing it’s made from, i.e., sliced ham, sliced chicken, bologna, etc. You’re right, that should have been a poll option. I didn’t think of it when I typed the poll choices. Other - can be used for this option. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/9 "2019-03-16T00:35:18Z")
Cold Cuts - this is what I call it and know it as Deli meat - This is a reasonable alternative, but also refers to the meats before slicing. Lunch meat - This is some cheap baloney like substitute. Also called lunchen meat Sandwich meat - see the above Sliced Meat - undefined, could be a carved dinner meat, or Deli slices. Cold cuts all the way for me. ---
**Author:** ![gvntofly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@gvntofly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gvntofly)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/10 "2019-03-16T00:39:49Z")
Lunch meat – Southerner ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/11 "2019-03-16T00:45:23Z")
My Wife and I rarely do sandwiches. But, I would say I’m going to get some deli turkey (or whatever meat) for sandwiches if we where to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/12 "2019-03-16T00:47:02Z")
cold cuts, midwest. For us, lunch meat was whatever meat you ate at lunch. Might be cold cuts, might be a chunk of chicken or sausage or burger patty. Or venison. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/13 "2019-03-16T00:54:52Z")
Cold cuts. New York City. I can’t recall using any of the others. “Lunch meat” suggests something like balogna or olive loaf, not items like roast beef or salami. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/14 "2019-03-16T00:58:04Z")
Sandwich meat. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/15 "2019-03-16T01:04:22Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Sandwich meat. Would “sandwich meat” also include something like ham salad or chicken salad? I usually say “deli meat” if I’m talking about the flesh of a specific animal - roast beef, turkey, ham and so on. Ground up and ‘loafed meats’ like bologna, pickle and pimento or olive loaf are “lunch meat” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/16 "2019-03-16T01:17:51Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I call it by whatever thing it’s made from, i.e., sliced ham, sliced chicken, bologna, etc. I am the same. I can’t think of a circumstance where I would refer to all those things by some collective expression. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/17 "2019-03-16T01:22:56Z")
I grew up in Oregon in the 50’s and 60’s, and we always called it lunch meat. That usually referred to relatively common cheap stuff like bologna or ham loaf or something. We never got commercially sliced real meat like turkey, ham or roast beef, my mother just cooked it and sliced it (not thinly) herself if there was enough left over for sandwiches. Side note: for many of those years my father worked in the office of a meat-packing plant, so we were never short of real meat in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/18 "2019-03-16T01:22:59Z")
Lunch meat. From Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/19 "2019-03-16T02:29:36Z")
It depends on what it is. “Cold cuts” is something like bologna, but roast beef / ham / turkey / pastrami is “sliced meat.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/20 "2019-03-16T02:36:57Z")
Lunch meat in aggregate, although in the (western PA) household where I grew up we usually had more than one variety on hand, called them by their proper names. Lebanon Bologna! Chipped Ham! Pickle and Pimento Loaf! Braunschweiger (actually never much cared for that one)! Mostly not readily available in my current location, and I’m supposed to stay away from cured meats anyway. Dang. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207.md?page=2)