Food Survey 2015: The Final Countdown

Our work here is nearly done. Having launched our fourth annual readers’ Food and Drink Survey back in September, voting closes at the end of the month, then it’s time to put the feet up and wait for the results to roll in. That goes for you lot, anyway – here at The Skinny we still have to go through the process of tallying up your votes and then relaying them back to you in our usual ‘hilarious’ manner. 

There is still time to let us know which food and drink spots are your faves by firing over to bit.ly/skinnyfoodsurvey and filling in the form. So whether you’ve been holding off voting until the very end, like you’re filling out a tax return or dodging a trip to the dentist, or you just plain didn’t know about this survey situation, fear not. We broke down the first half of this year’s categories last month, so let’s smash through the second while we’re all here.

‘ON THE GO’
In an ideal world, meals would be long, luxurious affairs with multiple courses and multiple anecdotes told by a coterie of friends and well-wishers. Sadly, we don’t live in an ideal world, and often resort to the modern mode of eating – ‘grabbing a bite.’ That is to say, ‘grabbing’ something in a panic, and ‘biting’ it to make sure it is actually food and that you haven’t accidentally bought a pillowcase to eat on your way from work to the gig.

But being in a hurry doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or innovation – maybe you know a favourite sandwich place that makes theatre out of putting stuff in bread, or a street food stand that can throw you a great bowl of food in the time it takes to walk past. There are no real boundaries on this one – if you can eat or drink it ‘on the go’ or ‘in a hurry,’ it’s a valid choice.

BEER
Back in the day, beer was yellow, and kind of fizzy. That’s about all there was to it. Thankfully, the craft beer boom has seen great breweries, big and small, pop up right across the country. From tiny microbreweries in sheds and on industrial estates, to craft brewers who’ve graduated to huge operations without sacrificing their quality and style, there’s a beer for everyone. We want to know which of Scotland’s breweries is your favourite, so… tell us. Please. Cheers.

CAST YOUR VOTE IN THIS YEAR'S FOOD AND DRINK SURVEY HERE!

FOOD SHOPPING
We all do it – traipsing around grim supermarkets absent-mindedly putting stuff in the trolley while trying to maintain consciousness. But then there’s that other shop, the deli or bottle shop or specialist store, where we go to get the stuff we actually want.

Exotic fruit and veg that ‘the big shops’ didn’t know existed, whole alphabets of alcohol under one roof, imported treats in bizarre languages that’ll blow your taste buds clean off your face – this is the kind of food and drink shopping we actually like doing. So which is your favourite food and/or drink shop? Let us know – we promise not to go in and buy everything.

INTERNATIONAL
To make life easier for you, we’ve amalgamated our world food categories from last year’s survey under one ‘international’ umbrella. That’s the good news. The bad news is you now have to think about all the great world food on offer in Scotland, and pick one place. And it’s the last question too. Ouch. Sorry ‘bout that.

It’s not as if you’re short of options – Scotland is home to hundreds of restaurants, bistros, holes-in-the-wall, cantinas, cafes and other eateries bringing the whole world’s cultural palette right to your doorstep. European, American (North, Central and South), African, Asian (South-Eastern, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and many more subcategories than can really fit inside this bracket); it’s all here. We need your favourites. It is a tricky task, but someone’s got to do it, and we reckon you’ll do a damn good job.