# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/41 "2019-03-18T21:19:39Z")
We mostly say cold cuts or lunch meat. If we put it on a sub roll we call it cold cuts and if we put it on bread it’s lunch meat (even though it’s exactly the same meat). To me, a cold cut sub is also a hoagie. To Mrs. Geek, it’s also a grinder. So I might say hoagie meat and she might say grinder meat. If we’re going to the store, one of us might tell the other to pick up some deli meat. I grew up in West Virginia, spent a few years in Maryland, and now live in southern Pennsylvania. Mrs. Geek is originally from Connecticut. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/42 "2019-03-18T21:34:16Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I am the same. I can’t think of a circumstance where I would refer to all those things by some collective expression. Typically, I’ll use the collective expression when I’m saying something like " I’m going to the deli for cold cuts- anything in particular you want? " or in reference to a “cold cut platter” for a party or meeting. What would you use in those situations? Surely you wouldn’t say " I’m making a genoa salami, roast beef, ham, Swiss cheese, Muenster cheese, American cheese platter " . I get that you may never actually have a need to use the collective expression , but what would you use if you did? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/43 "2019-03-18T22:15:27Z")
Always called it lunch meat. Chicago suburbia. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/44 "2019-03-18T22:44:36Z")
Probably cold cuts - if they’re to be given a collective name that would certainly be most likely, or charcuterie for cured cured continental stuff…but individual naming seems quite likely too. However, I just wanted to mention that although I’ve never heard “lunch meat”, “_luncheon_ meat”, in these parts, means Spam (or generic supermarket knock-off Spam equivalent). These parts, I should specify, are North Yorkshire, UK. ---
**Author:** ![BlueInfinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BlueInfinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueInfinity)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/45 "2019-03-19T01:30:14Z")
Presliced or sliced yourself? The former is lunch meat, the latter is cold cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/46 "2019-03-19T03:35:39Z")
We usually refer to the meat specifically - “sliced turkey,” “sliced pepperoni,” etc. Otherwise “lunch meat,” or “cold cuts,” pretty much interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207/47 "2019-03-19T10:06:15Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Yes, we have exactly the same types of thing.They’d be called “cold cuts” (except would not include the cheeses), but I don’t use the term myself. Thanks. I figured you’d have the same food, didn’t know if you’d use the same term. You can’t find a lot of Americans who know what ‘charcuterie’ means. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-family-call-sliced-lunch-meat/831207.md?page=2)