American mum’s Bluey-themed party food divides Australians
Aussies were left baffled after an American mum revealed she was serving a Bluey-inspired snack many of those from Bluey’s own backyard had never even heard of – take the Kids News poll
READING LEVEL: GREEN
An American mum’s choice of food for her daughter’s Bluey-themed birthday party has left Australians either delighted or disgusted.
The woman sparked a tense discussion among Bluey’s home crowd after innocently asking for advice on her three-year-old’s celebration — completely unaware of the commotion* it would cause.
In the AskAnAustralian community on Reddit, a social media platform, the parent revealed she planned to serve cheese and jam toast, which is featured in a season three episode of the incredibly popular children’s show.
“I’m hoping for some cheese and jam recommendations for toddler sensibilities*,” she said. “It’s not a popular kids food in the USA”.
“Bluey seems to be eating a yellow cheese with red jam (strawberry or raspberry?) … and I’m wondering: what kind of cheese/jam combo are your kids partial to? Is cheese and jam on toast more popular than a sandwich construction?”
Much to her surprise, Australians promptly replied that they had no idea what she was talking about.
“I’ve honestly never heard of it. Cheese and Vegemite (tiger toast) was very popular when I was a kid, but not cheese and jam,” one person responded.
“I saw that episode. I assumed that it was a joke about how sometimes kids like really weird foods. Cheese and jam is not a common food combo,” another added.
Others said the pairing sounded “horrid” and urged the American mum to opt for fairy bread and party pies instead.
“Fairy bread is a critical, non-negotiable delicacy* for any Australian-themed kids party,” one group member insisted.
“I’m Australian, and I’ve never heard of cheese and jam. Sounds disgusting. Why don’t you have fairy bread, party pies and sausage rolls if you want a real Bluey-themed kids party?” a second person pleaded.
However, not everyone was put off or perplexed* by the pairing. Several Australians jumped to its defence, but they did admit that its appearance on Bluey had made the combination seem “way more popular” than was actually the case.
“Mum used to make these for us for our school lunches from time to time, and it was always a pleasant surprise. It’s just bread, butter, mild cheddar, and strawberry or raspberry jam or jelly,” one person said.
Others shared nostalgic* memories of eating the snack with a parent or grandparent.
“We were from a country town, and my grandfather used to work in a cheese factory, so it was an inexpensive way to fill the tummy,” another wrote.
“I love a cheeky jam and cheese because it reminds me of my dad, but if I tried to offer it to anybody else they’d actually probably barf at the thought,” a third joked.
Some Aussies even thanked the American mum for “unlocking a core memory”.
AMERICAN FAIRY BREAD CONFOUNDS
The debate comes not long after another American made waves for her interpretation of the undisputed* classic Aussie kids’ party favourite: fairy bread.
The woman’s TikTok video quickly went viral on social media, with some viewers declaring her recipe a sure-fire way to offend an entire nation.
She kicked off the taste test by toasting a thick piece of gluten-free multigrain sourdough.
She then dipped the buttered toast into a bowl filled with sprinkles, not hundreds and thousands.
The clip attracted no less than a million views and thousands of comments from Aussies who begged her not to make the same mistake again.
“Was this rage bait*? I’ve never seen anyone get fairy bread so wrong,” one TikTok user pondered.
“If you’re gonna criticise food, at least make it the right way,” another added.
And it wasn’t just the Australians that took the misstep personally.
“This offended even me, and I’m British,” one Brit wit said.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- commotion: a sudden, short period of noise, confusion, or excited movement
- sensibilities: the capacity for and way of responding to emotions, impressions, sensations
- delicacy: something especially rare or expensive that is good to eat
- perplexed: confused, because something is difficult to understand or solve
- nostalgic: feeling happy and also slightly sad when you think about things that happened in the past
- undisputed: something about which everyone agrees
- rage bait: information, images, videos etc., that are put on the internet to deliberately make people angry
EXTRA READING
Bluey star thought it wouldn’t work
How Australia blew it with Bluey
How the ‘Bluey effect’ benefits kids
QUICK QUIZ
- What were the alternative items suggested by commentators in the social media group?
- What cute nickname did one member use to describe the more common Vegemite and cheese combination?
- Another commentator recalled growing up in a country town and shared which two nostalgic memories of why they had tried cheese and jam?
- What were the three elements of the other American woman’s failed fairy bread attempt that sent her video viral?
- In which season of Bluey did the unusual snack appear?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Create a menu
What advice would you give parents who want to provide the perfect kids birthday food and snacks?
Create what you think would be the perfect kids birthday party menu. Next to each item, write sentences that will convince everyone that this is a must have!
Time: allow at least 25 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Design and Technologies
2. Extension
What does today’s story tell you about the impact of Bluey in other countries? Find clues in the story and write a paragraph explaining this.
Time: allow at least 25 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Adjectives
An adjective is a describing word. They are often found describing a noun. Start by looking at the words before the nouns.
Search for all the adjectives you can find in the article.
Did you find any repeat adjectives or are they all different?
Extension:
Pick three of your favourite adjectives from the text and put them in your own sentences to show other ways to use them.
Have you used any in your writing?