Liverpool opinions
Liverpool's Big Macs
By John Williams
I don't know of many cities whose citizens are nicknamed according to the food they consume. People from Liverpool, however, are universally referred to as 'Scousers', because Scouse, a meat and vegetable stew, was once the favoured food of almost everybody who resided there. This strikes me as strange because nobody refers to New Yorkers as 'Hot dogs' or Londoners as 'Jellied eels' or Romans as 'Raviolis'.
It is worth noting in this context that the British tabloid press refer to the French people, whom they encourage us to despise, as 'Frog eaters'.
This leads me to suspect that the name 'Scouser' originated as a derogatory description applied by other Englishmen to the inhabitants of a city which was home to feared and despised aliens such as the Irish, Welsh, and Scottish Celts, as well as those of Jewish, African, Oriental and Asian origins. I'm just grateful that early Liverpudlians weren't excessive consumers of Cabbage!
When I think of the radical changes in our eating habits over the past fifty years I am tempted to speculate on what our nickname could have been. However, I've never been able to resist temptation so here goes!
Given the popularity of Chinese food, a consequence of Liverpool being home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe, we could have been called 'Noodles', 'Wontons' or even 'Specials'. On reflection I think 'Specials' would have been an especially appropriate nickname for the citizens of that city which gave to the world wit, soccer excellence, music, and, in times of war, the lives of its people!
Then again, the popularity of Indian food could have resulted in nicknames like 'Naans', 'Pillaus' or 'Masalas'. Any of which would have been apt as we are all definitely hot stuff!
The influence of African and Caribbean cuisine might have inspired such terms of endearment as 'Snappers' 'Yams' or 'Akkies' while our Jewish heritage could have generated tags along the lines of 'Bagels' 'Matzos' or 'Schmaltzers'.
I rather like Greek food, but I don't know if I fancy being called a 'Kebab'... 'Mousakka'...'Baklava', even though there are a lot of honeycakes hereabouts.
There is also a thriving Mexican cuisine in Liverpool. How do you fancy 'Jalapeno', 'Burrito' or being referred to as 'Me old Taco'?
More to the point perhaps is the fact that our current preoccupation with fast food outlets might have led to our being nicknamed 'Maccas', 'Kayeffseas' or 'Pete-zas'.
Thank God Wimpey's are no longer part of the gastronomic equation! If it is true that we are what we eat then we are all citizens of the world.
Update
Paul MacInnes reports Friday February 1, 2002
There's no longer one on every high street but [Wimpey's] the original British burger chain is still serving Big Benders - and making a comeback. The Guardian
...Oh Dear!
Great British Pubs & Inns
Note the stress on poverty...as if jellied eels were a rich man's dish!
Earlier nicknames for Liverpudlians were,
Dicky Sam: earlier term than Scouser for a Liverpudlian, Dicky Sam is understood to be a corruption of Dick O'Sam's derived from the Lancashire form of the patronymic. It refers to someone born and bred in Liverpool, within the sounds of the bells of St, Nicholas,.the waterfront parish church there. There is a record of one Richard Samuels, landlord of an old sailortown pub called the Dicky Sam Inn, which used to be on Mann Island, near the Pier Head.L
Thomas A. Van Merseytalk
Another favoured nickname was 'Wacker' Derived from the word for receiving a share of provisions [one's wack] which one person shared with a with another. Thus the benefactor became known as a wacker
In 1964 a New York Dee Jay, known as Murray the K, changed his name to 'Wacker the K', after talking to John Lennon who addressed the Dee Jay with that very term. Imagine!
The latter nickname denotes comradeship while the former is more in line with the definition of a Cockney being one who was born within sound of the Bow Bells. In my opinion both are more dignified than the term Scouser.
Update 07/05/05
I have been trying to establish just exactly when the term Scouser came into common usage and remembered that one of the main contributors was the 60's Cockney writer Johnny Speight, creator of the character Alf Garnett, who constantly referred to his son in law as a 'Scouse git'. Thanks for nothing!
A further thought 18/05/05
Given the activities of the Tony Soprano and other Mafia types even our nickname of 'Wacker' would be open to abuse as a Liverpudlian would be perceived as someone who 'wacked' people out!
Re.French ='Frogs' - "Governor Kneutsen secured for the expedition four Greenlanders. Most of these people have an admixture of Danish blood, and they do not like to be called Eskimo, which is a term bestowed originally in contempt, meaning 'fish-eaters'."
Rene Bache Vol. 1 & 2. University Archives, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, Lawrence, KS.
The third tribe of Indians was known as Shoshones. This great nation lived south and southeast of the park. The Shoshone tribes living on the border of Yellowstone were peaceful Indians. They were known derisively by the Crows and Blackfeet as "fish-eaters" and "root-diggers," because of the manner in which they garnered their food. They dug their roots, dried them, and ground them into flour, from which they made a pastry known as "sour dough." The Shoshones liked fish, a food which the Crows and the Blackfeet despised and would eat only when facing starvation. A branch of the Shoshones called Tukuarika, but dubbed "sheep-eaters" by the whites, actually dwelt in Yellowstone Park in the northern, eastern, and southern parts. They were a timid people, small in stature and lacking in brains and initiative. They were often seen in the park in the early days.
Update January 28th 2007
Shilpa Shetty, the Bollywood actress at the centre of the race row that has engulfed TV show Celebrity Big Brother, is favourite to win the current series.
She was sneeringly referred to as Shilpa popadom