A perplexing pudding
Jamie Oliver's campaign against working class comfort food, a carpark chicken joint in Christchurch and mushroom-shaped bikkies.
Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to The Boil Up, The Spinoff’s weekly food newsletter produced in partnership with Boring Oat Milk. Written by me, Charlotte Muru-Lanning. It’s lovely to have you here!
I’m passionate about puddings in bowls, and when it comes to this genre of puds I especially love an Eton mess. A British concoction featuring meringue, whipped cream and berries smushed into a big trifle bowl – what’s not to love.
Knowing this about myself, I was extra surprised at how much an image of Jamie Oliver holding an Eton mess against a backdrop of protest placards and union jack umbrellas taken earlier this week riled me. It’s hard to know what was more irritating: the overwhelmingly twee aesthetic of the scene or the exact reason he was standing there clutching a mint garnished pudding overhead.
But, it’s definitely the context of the picture that’s more annoying. The (millionaire) celebrity chef has been protesting outside No. 10 Downing Street this week following the government’s decision to delay implementing parts of its obesity strategy. Oliver wants to see a ban on promotional offers around unhealthy food, like “buy one get one free” deals, and a ban on junk food advertising.
No doubt, the health consequences of foods with low nutritional value is a problem and the barrage of advertising for processed food products definitely isn’t ideal. But the biggest barrier to eating healthy is inequality – a lot of us don’t have time or money to cook nourishing meals. Oliver has long been on a crusade against what he sees as “junk food”: chicken nuggets, chips, pies – what I would also consider working class comfort food. But rather than stick it to the systems which make good food inaccessible, his campaigns constantly revolve around shaming poor people for their individual choices. In an interview with the Radio Times in 2013, Oliver expressed bewilderment that poorer British people would choose cheap fast food while spending their money elsewhere. "I'm not judgmental, but I've spent a lot of time in poor communities, and I find it quite hard to talk about modern-day poverty,” he said before insinuating working class people chose to spend money on televisions rather than food.
That type of rhetoric which insinuates that poor people are poor because they spend their money on the wrong things, only helps to justify policies like benefit sanctions and low wages which in turn restrict access to delicious and nourishing food. At a time when the cost of living crisis is an enormous issue globally, and in a pandemic that has seen individual health choices blamed for poor Covid-19 outcomes, waving around a pudding that costs the equivalent of a family dinner to make, just seems a bit tasteless.
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Weekly bites
Wellington’s OnTrays Scheckter’s Deli has been open since 1998 – originally based out of a bakery in Brooklyn. They’re well known for their biltong, made to order sandwiches and extremely vast selection of international food and drink. According to their website, their first invoice was to Logan Brown. Sadly, their current location in Petone – where they’ve been based since 1999 – is shutting shop on June 5. Till then, they’re selling groceries at 10% discount, and wine at 20% discount. It’s not all bad news though – there are murmurs of a new location potentially opening in the future. Fingers crossed.
This long read by Kirsty Johnston over on Stuff is a fascinating investigation into Aotearoa’s food system, and the stronghold the massively unregulated supermarket industry has over access to kai across the country. Speaking to food wastage advocates, growers, consumer advocates, food banks, families struggling to access food and more – it paints a bleak picture of the way we’re currently going about feeding Aotearoa and how we’ve gotten to this point.
Iced coffee and reuben sandwich at OnTrays Deli in Petone (Image: Charlotte Muru-Lanning) Crop damage from tornadoes and heavy hail in Horowhenua district last week means that shoppers might see even higher prices on cabbage, silverbeet, celery and spinach later in the season. Apparently lettuce and radish were less affected – which will come as a relief for salad lovers.
The government is investing more than $1 million in Kāpiti-based sustainable foods company Plan*t markets, which makes fake meats like veggie-based mince, sausages and (ahem) chicken nuggets. The loan is from the $200m Regional Strategic Partnership Fund which aims to build sustainable, inclusive and productive regional economies.
If you’re after more content on the Jamie Oliver discourse, this video essay on the sociopolitical implications of Oliver’s (totally uncalled for) beef with chicken nuggets is well worth 17 minutes of your time.
An interview with Bobby Wayne of C&C Chicken and Cornbread in Ōtautahi
In celebration of all things comfort food, and on the topic of chicken, who better to speak to than one of the best and most intriguing chicken shops in the country. Bobby Wayne, originally from Atlanta in the US, serves fried chicken, cornbread and an ever-changing variety of kool-aid from his truck parked in a carpark on the periphery of the New Brighton red zone in Christchurch. On arrival you’ll be treated to some of Bobby’s renowned catchphrases like “we outchea mane!” or “it’s how we do’s it mane”. Fans of his kai stand in long lines, rain or shine, to get their hands on the hot chicken and their photograph on his social media pages – it’s a place to be seen.
Tell me a little about you and your joint?
I’m 52 years old and from the ATL (or Atlanta). I've been living in Christchurch for 15 and half years now. I run a small food truck that sells authentic back home southern style wings, cornbread, cool aid and rice with a couple of home-brew sauces I cook up from scratch. The reason I say "authentic" is because I use the exact same ingredients and styles of cooking as back home. Everything is cooked from scratch. Even the cool-aid is made from scratch – it’s not pre-mixed.
How did you end up in Aotearoa?
Long story short, I met a lady online 15 years ago and here we are...haha.
How did C&C start?
I started unofficially in 2012 out of my garage and after a decent response from the locals I went official in 2017.
Why the combination of chicken cornbread and kool aid?
Well where I'm from chicken wings is huge, just like fish and chips is in New Zealand. So I saw an opportunity by accident and gave it a go.
Would you find carpark chicken spots like yours back in Atlanta?
I'd say so. Us Southern folk are somewhat innovative when it comes to cooking.
Every time I visit you have a crazy long queue, why do you think you’ve gained such a following?
That’s a good question. I'd like to think it’s because of my customer service and the "everyone is welcome'' positive vibes. I'm not sure to be honest, but what I do know is it's a humbling experience. Even after five years it's something that feels like the first time every single time I open…shout out to Chistchurch for believing and supporting me.
The weekly snack
Oki Doki Funny Mushrooms Biscuits White Chocolate, $2 from Countdown: With their biscuit stalk and hard chocolate cap, these mini biscuits are wonderfully uplifting. “Put a smile on everyone’s face,” says the description on Countdown’s website. They’re not lying, who isn’t charmed by tiny mushroom-shaped foods? What adds to the fairy tale mystique of these is that they’re from Lithuania – a country filled with castles and snowy forests. These are a perfect pairing with an afternoon kapu tī. 8/10.
Talk next week!
Hei kōnā mai, Charlotte