CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
An inconveniently tight layer of wrapping paper underneath the foil-lined kebab bag is probably going to be taken in with a few bites, it has been confirmed.
While this specific doner kebab order isn’t actually that sauce-heavy, the veteran lamb sandwich artists at the local Betoota Corner Kebab obviously know what they are doing – and if they are going to give it two layers of wrapping, then it probably needs it.
The rise of Australian adults accidentally ingesting lightly-waxed cooking paper has risen dramatically since the first significant migration waves of Turkish people in 1967, following a bilateral agreement between the Turkish and Australian governments, made to facilitate the provision of assisted migration to Australia for Turks. The 1967 agreement coincided with increasing Turkish interest in employment opportunities outside Turkey.
Turkish migrants were the first major Muslim religious group to arrive in Australia in the years after World War II. Most Turkish migrants were not in fact Turkish-born but rather Turkish Cypriots – they were followed by both Egyptian, Lebanese and Persian in the decades that followed.
One thing that all respective waves of migration brought with them was their unique style of fast-food – as well as the universal 270 x 100 x 40mm leak-proof foil lined paper bags with effective heat retention. With the iconic reddish yellow TASTY KEBAB print on the outside, the wrapping traditionally used in serving kebabs and falafel rolls.
However, while their delicious cuisine has translated well to Australian culture, and ironically Australian drinking culture – one cultural nuance that has never been discussed is how to best navigate around the occassional underwrapping.
“Just tear like a spiral as you go down” says the matriarch of Corner Kebab’s, Wendy Guerra.
“Don’t try and eat around it, it’s too tightly wrapped, it’ll get caught in the wrap and you’ll take it in”
“This really isn’t that difficult”
