A town’s unhealthy obsession with its cholesterol-laden name
Eggs and Bacon Bay or Apple and Cherry Pie Bay? Sadly, the latter contains more calories.
Yes, there is a place in Australia named for eggs and bacon. And yes, some people have a problem with that.
It’s not the ridiculousness of the name they object to in Eggs and Bacon Bay. It’s the cholesterol.
Peter Coad, mayor of the Tasmanian town, has thrown his weight behind a proposal to come up with a different, healthier name. He believes this will help enhance the Huon Valley’s image as a place where foodies can load up on farm-fresh produce and seafood. “If we can promote healthy lifestyles then I think we should,” he says.
“Considering the high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat in eggs and bacon, the area may as well be called ‘Heart Attack Bay,’ ” says a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which supports veganism — and a name change. Its suggestion: Apple and Cherry Pie Bay.
A tour of this embuttered locale shows the battle to be far from cooked.
“I don’t think you go down to Eggs and Bacon Bay and think about your lifestyle,” says Eliza Withers, a college student, as she takes a bite of egg and bacon pie. “Maybe it makes you want to eat eggs and bacon. But I don’t think driving into Apple and Cherry Bay would make you want to go for a run.”
“It’s been Eggs and Bacon Bay for yonks,” says Naomi Smith, sipping tea at the Country Women’s Association charity store. “People won’t be able to find it if they change the name.”
Graham Victor, a 67-year-old butcher and self-declared “meatarian”, is, unsurprisingly, opposed to the move — and to all forms of arterial correctness. “We’ve been talking about healthier lifestyles for the last 100 years and every time somebody comes up with a healthier alternative, somebody else knocks it back,” he says.
Outside his shop, the Cygnet Butchery, Victor has a sign that says: “SAVE EGGS AND BACON BAY! DON’T GIVE IN TO SMALL-MINDED PEOPLE.”
No one is quite sure how Eggs and Bacon Bay got its name. Some say the wife of a former governor once ate eggs and bacon there, while others believe it came from a native flower whose yellow and red blooms resemble the dish.
Andy Abramowich, a Canadian who owns the Cat’s Tongue Chocolatiers in nearby Huonville, offers a wholly unsubstantiated story about a French explorer named “ Monsieur Oeuf Lardon” who may (or may not) have discovered the place. In addition to chocolates, Abramowich sells Bacon Soap which, he says, is a wonder for bathing.
A sign on Abramowich’s counter reads: “Vegetarians live up to nine years longer than meat eaters. Nine horrible, worthless, baconless years.”
Also found in Australia are Beefsteak Creek in NSW and Leg of Lamb Bank in Western Australia — the latter named by early cartographers because its contours resembled a Sunday roast.
Pip Banks-Smith, a local teacher, says Australia’s obsession with food names likely stems from early settlers “imagining beautiful food that they couldn’t have”.
The decision on the bay’s name rests with the government-appointed Tasmanian Nomenclature Board. The first step is winning approval of the Huon Valley Council, headed by Coady.
The Huon Valley Council’s official Facebook page has been bubbling over with feedback, not all of it entirely helpful. Responding to one glib remark, the council urged the male poster not to be so flippant. “There’s a lot at steak,” it wrote.
One potential hitch to the proposal is the awkward fact pie isn’t actually healthy.
An average plate of bacon and eggs (two fried eggs and two rashers of bacon) has about 255 calories, while a 113g slice of store-bought apple and berry pie has about 274 calories, according to the Dietitians Association of Australia.
The Wall Street Journal