Thread: canteen

I heard that this is rather an obsolete word (may be dating back to 50-s); it was discussed here on this forum, but I forget it. So what is the word for those low-grade restaurants or dining rooms. How would you call this in university campus for example, or in the ordinary city street, is there any difference etc.?
The Russian equivalent for what I'm interested in is "столовая" which is translated as a "canteen" in almost all the dictionaries, but probably it is not so now.

Cafeteria, buffet, lunchroom, lunch counter/bar, luncheonette, snack bar/counter/shop; "canteen" seems just fine, though.

Also, "greasy spoon" is a good match for "тошниловка".

Originally Posted by bad manners

Also, "greasy spoon" is a good match for "тошниловка".

Тошниловка? Hmm, that's a new word in my Russian vocabulary! Surely, you wouldn't normally say мы пошамали лунч в тошниловке? I can imagine someone saying в "Веселом Роджере" не шамовка а просто тошниловка - in other words тошниловка refers to the food itself, not the establishment which surves it, but I may be wrong, as usual...

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Originally Posted by bad manners

Also, "greasy spoon" is a good match for "тошниловка".

Тошниловка? Hmm, that's a new word in my Russian vocabulary! Surely, you wouldn't normally say мы пошамали лунч в тошниловке? I can imagine someone saying в "Веселом Роджере" не шамовка а просто тошниловка - in other words тошниловка refers to the food itself, not the establishment which surves it, but I may be wrong, as usual...

As far as I know, that word used to say things like: "Я больше в эту тошниловку ни ногой."

canteen to me strictly means those things military people use to drink water out of (hard drink container with a pop off lid).. or you see people use in the desert, etc.

would never describe a lunchroom, cafeteria, snack bar, etc. as a canteen, I wouldn't know what you meant..

I think only the British use it to mean 'lunchroom, mess hall' etc. At least I would.

There is the drinking jug thing, but I am also familiar with the meaning of "dirty little place to eat."

This is what I meant, because recently I've got used to use this word as "the thing from which Indiana Johnes usually drank his water in a desert". But when I just started to study English this word was supposed to mean "столовая" in textbooks.

Yes, we use it as both a thing that you drink out of while your camping or hiking (or doing Indiana Jones stuff) as well as a mess hall or cafeteria.

I see a canteen as:

a) a water flask;

b) a food hall provided by an establishment where the serving of food is not the building's primary purpose (i.e. office, school, hospital) - anywhere else that provides food is a cafe, a restaurant, etc.

Originally Posted by Propp

I heard that this is rather an obsolete word (may be dating back to 50-s); it was discussed here on this forum, but I forget it. So what is the word for those low-grade restaurants or dining rooms. How would you call this in university campus for example, or in the ordinary city street, is there any difference etc.?
The Russian equivalent for what I'm interested in is "столовая" which is translated as a "canteen" in almost all the dictionaries, but probably it is not so now.

At my school (In england) we say canteen, cafeteria to me sounds American.

Many words for the same thing.

While at school it was called the dining room
At college and university it was called the refectory.
Take your pick.