“Puts a rose in every cheek”
So, it’s January 26, which is celebrated with a public holiday across the country for Kim Hughes’1 Australia Day. As seems traditional for this time of year, the media has been trying to reinvigorate that most important discussion dealing with identity and inclusion: what is Australia’s “national dish”?
birthday
I can’t be arsed talking about the flaws in the idea of a “national dish”. The idea of promoting a single dish, or ingredient, as evoking this country is ridiculous. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy talking about food. I do! Preferably while eating it. It’s just that I want to eat what I want to eat without considering whether it’s a statement of national identification or not.
No, what I really feel coming on is a short rant about the opposition of some to the fact that Kraft has recently gained Halal certification for Vegemite. In the “news” story about this, the Herald-Sun planted its flag with the headline “Vegemite becomes politically correct“, because obviously Kraft was thinking in PC terms rather than in terms of expanding its customer base. Professional prat Family Council of Victoria secretary Bill Muehlenberg is firmly in the they-done-it-to-be-PC camp:
Why do we have to keep bending over backwards to please minority groups? There are only 300,000 Muslims in Australia out of 22 million people, which is a very small percentage. Of course, there’s a case for making allowances for different cultures, but aren’t we getting a bit carried away with political correctness here? It’s ridiculous.
“Bending over backwards”? From what I can understand, Vegemite has always fitted within halal guidelines, but it hasn’t been certified as such, so conscientious muslims have had to make a judgement on whether they should eat it or not2. Kraft hasn’t changed the recipe, they’ve just had it confirmed that Vegemite is halal and have added a small icon to indicate to those interested that it is. That should fit firmly into Bill’s definition of “making allowances”, shouldn’t it? It’s not New Coke; hell, it’s not even iSnack 2.0.
Since when does allowing everyone to enjoy something have any impact on the original product-lover’s affection for it? How does enabling people’s access to something frequently touted as “a national icon” lead to Islamisation? Shouldn’t we be thrilled that people whose communities are marginally more recently settled here than “ours” are willing to embrace a product that many find challenging?
No, clearly some people are so insecure in their own identity as Australian that they can’t bear the idea of non-(what, exactly? Descendants of convicts? Ten pound Poms? Snowy Mountain scheme veterans?)AussiesTM stealing their icon. How will they stand out as just like all the other Contikitourists true blue if… everybody’s carrying a tube of the black stuff in their carry-on?
Well, they’ll probably stand out because they’ll be the ones being dickheads on a Turkish peninsula around the end of April, but just in case, there’s a petition. Yes – somebody wants the bloody gubmint to stop this creeping Islamisation “through legislation if necessary”.
Because nothing says “young and free” like demanding legislation against allowing people to make informed choices.
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2. I think this is one of the best things I’ve seen on the interwebs – a forum from last year where Australian Muslims discuss whether or not they should be eating Vegemite. I like the fact that #2 feels confident to swear a certain allegiance to the yeasty goodness, but #5 is the comment that really rocks (and gave me my post title, with an added emphasis, ‘cos the brewers’ discards don’t discriminate).
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Wow, that article is awful. It sounds like a propaganda piece, so nationalistic and intolerant is it. And to think that people read this!! (That, and watch Channel 9 news. I have trouble getting my head around the fact that anyone would actually watch Channel 9 for news.)
Obviously, putting an icon on a product to certify it as halal when the fact is that it always was halal anyway is a good thing. Part of being a country in which different cultures coexist is the necessity to respect others’ cultures, and SOMEONE SERIOUSLY MADE A PETITION PROTESTING AGAINST THIS? Well okay. If they want to do that, I guess they can, but it’s stupid.
Oh yeah, and personally, I like celebrating January 26 for being the anniversary of the only military coup in Australia’s history. While military coups are generally not deserving of celebration, considering the governor was incompetent and the coup leader was my ancestor, I can make an exception for that one. 201 years!
amazing how if you make an anti-islamic comment you are guaranteed miles of media space. What a tool. Loved the forum
reality raver´s last blog ..The Housewives Of New Jersey – Danielle Has a Shady Past
I am just so baffled by this. People are INSANE!!!
@Jess – I’m glad you celebrated the coup yesterday! I doubt you’d find much in common with Mr Muehlenberg, given that you believe in a concept of different cultures coexisting where he seems to think that means they are seen but not heard (and, preferably, not even seen).
@RR – I had to check a couple of times to make sure it wasn’t one of those hoax websites, like the one somebody did a year or two back that looked exactly like a BBC story on midgets vs lions in Cambodia.
@teacoffeetea – It is baffling, indeed.
Didn’t bother celebrating! InsteadWatched the “eat more ozzie lamb” ad 100 times by the ex- oz rules player whose name I’ve genuinely forgotten.
As the son of a Snowy veteran myself i can dig what you say.
I still get culture cringe every time I think of some “celebrity” (see previous whinge of mine) in the sixties getting off a plane and a second later some oz buffoon journo (things have not changed much there) would shove a red hot meat pie into their hands and demand they eat the glop immediately and then said journo would ask two piercing questions, to wit (and to-woo)
1 how do you like our national dish, and
2′waddya think abowt oztraya