Albanese's lunchtime photo riles Aussies amid cost of living crisis
Some have lashed the PM as out of touch, but many are firmly behind the leader.
A seemingly innocent photo of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese enjoying a crunchy banh mi in his home suburb of Marrickville has seen heated debate erupt online, with some lashing the PM for the posting the shot, while others have praised him.
Uploading the happy snap to social media, Albanese said: "Nothing like the original Marrickville Pork Roll", posing beside the iconic Sydney institution, which has long been a beloved staple in the Inner West food scene.
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Though the post seems simple enough, it garnered some 30,000 interactions across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, with hundreds of Aussies flooding the comments, all with varying views.
"There are quite a few families out there that would like to buy a pork roll, over sharing a roll of bread that they can just afford," one user said. "Wish I could afford to go out to eat, rent is getting insane," said another. "Albo, lucky you can afford it, or did you just put it on your expenses?" another said.
"How's the cost of living going?" said another.
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Others quickly jumped to defend the leader, who one person argued was simply "keeping it real".
"I cannot believe the carry on over a $9 pork roll! He's gotta (sic) eat! Would you rather he booked a table at [insert name of wanky restaurant]? one man said on Twitter. "Painting Albo as out of touch for eating a pork roll is actually crazy," a woman wrote.
"Keeping it real. Thank you prime minister. Gee that roll looks good," a hungry user said.
Australian PMs and their food and drink
The nation's leaders and their — sometimes controversial — meal choices have long been a divisive topic of conversation, with former Prime Minister Scott Morrison also copping serious heat over his now-infamous curry dinner. At the time, Mr Morrison made national headlines after posting photos of himself in the kitchen, with many expressing similar sentiment to that of Albanese's snap.
Former prime minister Bob Hawke impressed many around the world for sculling an entire beer at the cricket at aged 82 back in 2012, and of course, who could forget Tony Abbott's stomach-churning and still to this day baffling onion-eating saga.
It would seem that if you're in the nation's top job, posting a food snap is guaranteed to generate attention.
With the nation still gripped by a crushing cost of living crisis, politicians dining out in general seems to garner plenty of critiques. But how much is too much to spend on a meal when you're an elected MP on a tax payer wage?
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