22 weird Aussie food habits every 90s kid remembers

Number 6 was brutal. Number 14 was the best.

Rebecca Nittolo

2 min read

May 11, 2024 - 3:08PM

Vegemite worms

Aussies have a multitude of weird and wonderful food traditions (we recently spoke about them all here). But then there are a whole heap of other habits that you won’t have done in so long that you might have forgotten them altogether.

We’re all about nostalgia though, so we’ve put together a list reminding us all of the most classic food things we did in our childhoods. Let’s face it: you wouldn’t be a kid growing up in Australia if you haven’t done one of these at some point.

1. Black cats in the lolly jar

The perfect place to ditch the rejected lollies until someone who actually liked them came over to take them off your hands.

Black cats

2. The Maccas gherkin flick

Flicking those bad boys out the window was so gross, but an essential part of every gherkin-hater’s childhood.

3. Melted ice-cream

Melt your cheap brand vanilla ice-cream (sometimes in the microwave) and mix in Milo. DIY thickshake-in-a-bowl, done.

4. Roll-up art

Roll out those fruit strips and cut them into shapes. Art class.

5. Buttered milk Arrowroots

We’re not sure why we needed to spread butter on our biscuits, but we did it anyway. And it tasted so good!

6. Tabasco as punishment

It’s perhaps better than soap to cure a potty mouth?

7. Coiled confectionery

Because Fizzers and Curly Wurlys taste much better rolled up like a snail.

8. Mentos in a bottle of coke

BOOM. (No longer recommended.)

9. Fantale facts

It was an education.

10. Hidden peas

Put your drink in a mug, drink the drink quickly, hide garden peas in said mug.

11. Squished sandwiches flat

Why did they taste better that way?

12. Snaked fruit skin

Could your mum peel the whole skin off an apple in one go?

13. De-case a Heart (or Magnum)

The satisfaction of pulling the chocolate coating off without damaging the ice-cream inside is yet to be matched.

14. Burger Ring rings

Put one on each finger. Eat them off one at a time. 10 minutes filled.

15. Split Monte Carlos

Pull them apart to make two biscuits. Genius! Actually, we have to confess we still do this now.

16. Blowing bubbles in drinks

Because drinks aren’t fun without a bit of backwash in them.

17. Deconstructed Twix bars

Did you eat the biscuit bottom or the caramel and chocolate top first?

18. Mixed lolly bags

Usually after swimming or when renting a video (a video, as in, VCR).

19. Vegemite worms

The ultimate Aussie post-school trick: spread a Vita-Weat with butter and Vegemite and squeeze together until squiggles of the spreads come out.