After a concert -- or even a long night in the pub -- in '80s England, you could pretty much guarantee at least one doner kebab van nearby, to get a hot, greasy snack before heading home!
Fast forward to a few years ago, now living in California, I went to see Morrissey in San Jose and came out to several doner kebab carts (and hot dog carts)... who all seemed bewildered that none of the concert-goers were buying their meaty wares... they clearly didn't get Morrissey's memo that "Meat is Murder" (which he hammers home at all of his concerts to a mostly vegan audience, it seems).
Doner kebabs are what we mean when we say something is a kebab here in New Zealand, to the point where a term like "shish kebab" requires emphasis on the first word to distinguish it from the real thing. They became popular in the late 80s and they've been a reliable element of cheap and cheerful fast food since: there are easily half a dozen kebab shops within a ten minute walk from my apartment. For some reason the NZ version is almost always served in a rolled pita like a shawarma, including being wrapped in tinfoil and pressed under a sandwich toaster; the flat bread/pidé version is rarer and has an aura of fanciness (maybe because of the caraway seeds in the bread?) that contrasts with the straightforwardness of "normal" kebabs.
Notable Sandwiches #57: Doner Kebab
After a concert -- or even a long night in the pub -- in '80s England, you could pretty much guarantee at least one doner kebab van nearby, to get a hot, greasy snack before heading home!
Fast forward to a few years ago, now living in California, I went to see Morrissey in San Jose and came out to several doner kebab carts (and hot dog carts)... who all seemed bewildered that none of the concert-goers were buying their meaty wares... they clearly didn't get Morrissey's memo that "Meat is Murder" (which he hammers home at all of his concerts to a mostly vegan audience, it seems).
Doner kebabs are what we mean when we say something is a kebab here in New Zealand, to the point where a term like "shish kebab" requires emphasis on the first word to distinguish it from the real thing. They became popular in the late 80s and they've been a reliable element of cheap and cheerful fast food since: there are easily half a dozen kebab shops within a ten minute walk from my apartment. For some reason the NZ version is almost always served in a rolled pita like a shawarma, including being wrapped in tinfoil and pressed under a sandwich toaster; the flat bread/pidé version is rarer and has an aura of fanciness (maybe because of the caraway seeds in the bread?) that contrasts with the straightforwardness of "normal" kebabs.