Sydney bar responds to backlash over $7 fairy bread: 'Yeah, nah'
Fiercely defending the humble fairy bread is a form of Australian patriotism. But why?
Messing with the country's most beloved party snack has proven to be a poor decision time and time again, yet hospitality venues just can't help themselves.
The latest culprit hoping to turn a profit from fairy bread is Buddy's Bar in Newtown, situated in Sydney's inner west. As part of their "adults kid menu", customers can be transported back to their childhood birthday party for the price of $7 — so what's the problem?
Fairy bread at Buddy's Bar
A picture of the bar's fairy bread offering popped up on social media and it's fair to say it copped more than a sprinkling of backlash.
With four rectangular pieces of bread topped with 100s and 1000s neatly placed on a wooden board, the words "un-Australian" and "outrage" were banded around, with many sharing the belief fairy bread should never be priced more than a few dollars.
However, the bar stand strong in their decision.
"Like all items on our menu, there’s plenty of hidden costs that goes into them," co-owner Jimmy told Yahoo News Australia.
"The margins we make on the fairy bread are lower than the industry average, it’s there for a bit of fun."
Why are Aussies so fiercely protective of fairy bread?
There have been several adaptations of fairy bread over the last few years and each time the backlash has been swift and inevitable.
From healthy versions which use vegetables to creating elaborate desserts out of the ingredients, it's always a "yeah, nah" from Australians, because the key ingredient of fairy bread can't be mimicked.
"It relates back to ideas of nostalgia, and comfort and happiness too," Food Historian Dr Lauren Samuelsson told Yahoo News Australia. "You don't remember eating fairy bread and think, 'Aw, I had a really terrible day that day'."
"Taking fairy bread out of that nostalgic, child-like fun context turns it into something that people can't get on board with. Food isn't just about what's on the plate, it's about the memories we have of it."
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The first reference to fairy bread as we know and love it today came from a recipe in The Mercury in 1929, with the snack being linked to children's parties from the very beginning.
"The idea that this is fun and for kids, there is definitely a class dimension where everyone can have it. It's not cost prohibitive," Dr Samuelsson said, speaking on the backlash.
"It's a food of happiness."
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