Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Unpalatable politics?


I had to laugh at the latest political (or should that be gastronomic?) upset in New Zealand.

Many think putting pineapple on pizza is disgusting and an affront to Italian cuisine.

However, the Prime Minister of New Zealand has faced calls for impeachment over his chosen pizza toppings; pineapple and perhaps more controversially tinned spaghetti.

He wrote: "Cooked dinner for the family last night - like if you agree with tinned spaghetti on pizza!"

However, he later conceded the pizza was "soggy", writing: "I drained off some of the liquid but not quite enough since pizza was a bit soggy in the middle. Goes well with pineapple."

One outraged Facebook user responded: “Can’t believe you posted this. Not being a pizza snob or anything but assume that you have sampled real pizza at least once in your life?”

One commentator said he was considering voting for the opposition party because of the pizza controversy, writing: "I might vote Labour now Bill. This is like s----ing on Italy."

There's more at the link.

I have a certain sympathy for the Prime Minister.  After all, I grew up in another former British colony, where food was . . . different.  I've lost count of the number of times I've eaten tinned spaghetti on toast (American readers will know them as Spaghetti-o's, but ours were strands rather than circles), sometimes with an egg cracked into them and stirred up as it scrambled along with the tomato sauce.  Another favorite was baked beans on toast, also with an egg cracked into them from time to time.  Delicious - but not what American palates are used to.  Miss D. gives me very strange looks when I threaten to make them for her, and actively discourages me from even thinking about it!




Peter

16 comments:

JohninMd.(HELP?!??) said...

Well, I get strange looks when I mix up a 50/50 concoction of bottled chili sauce and peanut butter. It's not bad as a sandwich.... I got the idea from an old Boy Scout manual, believe it or not....

GAHCindy said...

We Appalachian hillbillies always ate our spaghetti-o's with potato pancakes (savoury, not sweet, as I seem to have to explain to half the people I meet). Not good for you, and I seldom feed my own kids that way. Ok. Never. My kids don't even know about canned spaghetti. But we loved it!

GAHCindy said...

They DO know about tater cakes, though.

Old NFO said...

Wow, that is just... Over the top? I'd hate to think what they would say about some of the concoctions I've seen eaten in various parts of the world... 100 year old eggs, Camel burgers, fried grasshoppers... sigh

Judy said...

I scoop baked beans with home-made rolls or toast but I want my egg on the side, over-easy so I can dip the toast in the yolk.

Sorry, Spaghetti-Os are nasty; tomato sauce with mushy noodles...just gross in my opinion. I suppose I would eat it, if I was truly hungry.

Here's something that use to turn my father green that I picked up from my mother. Pickle juice on mashed hard-boiled eggs and yellow mustard in butter beans.

Anonymous said...

When one's mind is set so rigid in opposition to the ideology even selection of pizza toppings becomes the basis for attack. It is laughable how the left act as aggrieved surrogates for, in this case, the Italians. Another recent case was the apparent insensitivity of the American military for 'wrongly' naming their missiles. They gnash their teeth for the assumed sufferings of their, again, assumed, red brothers. Let the faux tears flow.

I have oft said I could eat pizza every night. My favorite toppings, why pineapple & Canadian bacon thank you very much. As an American I am greatly anticipating the hilarity when I inquire of the grocer where the tinned spaghetti may be found.

NobobyExpects said...

You bunch of gastronomic barbarians...

RHT447 said...

Starving student special---Cream of tomato soup. Add cut up hot dogs and tater tots to suit. I also like a dash of salt a pepper on my cantaloupe. Anybody ever have scrapple made with grits and bacon drippings? Serve hot and add maple syrup. Not exactly health food, but it's pretty good fuel when your eight years old.

Roy said...

I just don't get why anybody cares what others eat - as long as it's not YOU they are eating.

A.B. Prosper said...

I'm American but I've eaten canned spaghetti and baked beans on toast.

Its not bad though our favorite way as teens was to use the canned spaghetti with meat balls than pour powdered Parmesan cheese on it and melt it in the microwave for an ersatz pizza

Also if you want disgusting, home made pizza was a thing at the Prosper house , Mama prosper can could like no ones business but because of the not so much money issue and of difficulty shopping when we were so rural we often had hot dogs on pizza. I picked mine off

drjim said...

The ship I worked on would make pizza with some "unusual" toppings, like corn.

And pickles.....

RobC said...

Mushy peas... very few people get it. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Pineapple tastes good. I'm all for eating pineapple. Pineapple on pizza is an abomination. I don't care that someone eats pineapple on pizza, but since their judgment is so clouded, they cannot advise me, rule me or hold any opinion that I care about. You have to draw the line. Next thing you know, pitchers won't bat in the American league and they will give the Panama canal away.

Anachronda said...

As an American I am greatly anticipating the hilarity when I inquire of the grocer where the tinned spaghetti may be found.

Should be right next to the Spaghetti-Os. Made by the same company.

SQT said...

I love pineapple on pizza- but spaghetti? Why would anyone think that's a good idea?

Sendarius said...

The world is a strange place, populated by strange people.

As an example, Americans won't eat baked beans on toast, but they WILL eat grits ... and chitlins.