Classic New Zealand food: Canadian chef cooks kiwi after making fun of popular cuisine

Annoyed by our creation, he wrote: “New Zealand, are you okay?” before relying on what New Zealanders say is “poor man’s comfort food”.

“New Zealand lied to us all,” Pete began.

“They tell the public that they serve seasonal ingredients and local produce. If this is true, explain it. A New Zealand classic,” Pete told his viewers, sharing an image of spaghetti and cheese on toast.

“Comfort food that is literally canned spaghetti on toast.

“New Zealand, you have lost all credibility by criticizing another country’s food. I mean, it’s worse than a lot of the slop they serve in American cafeterias. This is worse than many boiled dinners that people around the world call food.

“What are you guys doing?” He concluded by asking his New Zealand followers a question.

It’s safe to say his hot takes on our classics didn’t sit well.

Early Pete was inundated with thousands of comments defending the cuisine, wanting to pick a fight or inviting him to try what New Zealand cuisine has to offer.

“Wait ’til he hears about the knuckle sandwich,” one joked.

Another wrote: “Ooh, spaghetti and cheese on toast is God level,” while a third said: “Wait until he hears about the pie sandwich.”

A fourth added: “Seriously don’t make fun of our food, spaghetti and cheese toastie is comfort food, it’s the bomb.”

Five invited Early Pete to come to Aotearoa, promising: “I’ll cook you some of our main dishes. Spaghetti on toast, pie sandwich, noodle sandwich, corn beef, spaghetti and boil.”

Pete’s viral post also caught the attention of Kiwi TikToker Liam Liams, who reacted to the Canadian chef’s video.

“If you were poor, you would understand our struggle,” Liam told viewers while holding a can of cheap OAK spaghetti.

“You can get 10 of these, eat two meals a day and feed your entire whānau from one jar. Even if you have a village, you can still feed them.”

Liam then pointed out that Early Pete was using a bad photograph as an example of our classic cuisine.

“He has the crappiest photo on planet Earth… You can make it (spaghetti and cheese on toast) gross. If you are poor, these things are literally your lifeline.”