These Instagrammers want to try every Australian dish. Their favourite might surprise you
Aus Foodiee has become one of the more wholesome accounts on the internet. A narrator who seems to be a newcomer to Australia tries iconic dishes like a vanilla slice, pavlova, supermarket hot chook, Bubble O'Bill ice cream and a Bunnings 'sausage sizzle'. The comment section is full of Australians praising the narrator's calm Korean commentary and sense of wonder at everyday foods, with fans offering recommendations for more classics, such as Arnott's Shapes and Milo. After feedback about how they prepared a hot cross bun "wrong", Aus Foodiee thanked fans and gave it another go in a second video, where they were judged to have prepared it properly — toasted with lots of butter. What fans don't know is that the account is actually the work of two Korean men — Mingoo Lee and Jungho Choi.
In their first-ever interview — where they revealed their faces and names — the Aus Foodiee creators spoke to SBS News about how life in Australia has been a surprising treat since arriving two months ago on working holiday visas. "Some people don't use shoes here. I don't know why," Lee said, laughing. "The traditional Aussie has a hairstyle like yours." He pointed to this author's mullet and laughed even harder. Lee, who worked as a videographer in Korea, is typically the one who directs, films and edits the videos. But he doesn't cook, leaving that job to Choi, who has worked as a chef in his day job for over seven years. The reason they don't show their faces is that the videos are easier to edit if there are no shots of people, they said, half-joking. The pair said they have been "best friends for 20 years". They met as eight-year-olds and have maintained a close friendship despite moving to separate cities — Lee lived in Seoul and Choi lived in Busan. It's a far cry from regional Victoria where they're living now, juggling foodie shoots in between work and travel to Melbourne to film at restaurants.
Lee said he created the account to help people understand and connect with other cultures, and said what he's learned along the way has helped him adapt to life in Australia. "I didn't expect lots of people's interest, but I think I want to make a very helpful account. And I think food has a very special energy," he said. "I didn't expect us to have an encouraging and powerful effect, but someday we are going to make this channel bigger and bigger and bigger."
Their most popular video, with nearly a million views on Instagram and TikTok combined, is the homemade sausage sizzle. Choi caramelises onions, pan-fries a packet of sausages and serves them on white bread with ketchup. Speaking in Korean with auto-generated English captions, Lee says in the video: "This is said to be the national dish of Australians ... I think it's also called Bunnings sausage sizzle. "How to make it is easier than you think."
As is often the case with their dishes, fans who frequently comment on their posts gave them another idea, so they filmed a trip to get a sausage in bread from Bunnings, describing it as "meaningful food". Choi and Lee said they weren't sure why so many people loved the sausage video in particular, but they thought the meal was one of the tastiest they've had. The duo laughed, saying they were surprised the sausages were so thin. So what's Lee's favourite dish he discovered in two months in Australia? Choi's favourite is the hot cross bun, though he really enjoys Japanese food. They said Australia's food scene should be described as multicultural. "You can try every country's food, but some are not as good as others," Lee said. He said the Korean food they tried in Melbourne was nice but not spicy enough. The duo plan to make as many videos as they can while in Australia, most likely whatever their audience suggests Choi should cook.
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