It seems some Aussies are still fuming over the fact Bunnings has changed the way it serves its famous sausage sizzle.
The hardware store caused quite the stir across the country last week after announcing it would now put onions underneath the sausage instead of on top due to safety concerns. And now the Bunnings’ sausage sizzle saga has just taken a rather bizarre turn.
Organisers of an event against the sausage change have been forced to cancel a controversial Facebook event, where attendees planned on throwing onions on the ground in protest.
The event, titled “Throwing your onion on the ground at Bunnings and then slipping”, was set to take place on December 15 at the Chatswood store in Sydney.
“Protest this disgrace of REORDERING the snags at Bunnings by throwing your onion on the ground and slipping on it,” the description of the event read.
Read more: The iconic Bunnings sausage is undergoing a change for safety reasons
The post has received a slew of responses with the majority of commentators criticising the event.
“You people should be ashamed,” one commentator wrote. “You will end up getting the sausage sizzle cancelled altogether, which will impact the groups that benefit from it, and kill an Aussie icon.”
Another added: “Shame on you. Get a life! You are making Australia and Australians a joke in the world!”
While a third wrote: “This is disgusting.”
Others thought it was a good idea, with more than 8,000 people claiming they were attending the event. However due to backlash, organisers have now cancelled it, saying it was only meant to be a joke.
“This event was always comedic and only meant to bring smiles to peoples faces,” the event organisers wrote.
“Due to legal, health and safety reasons, it is completely cancelled and will be deleted tonight. For those of you who could find humour in this, thanks for supporting us and we find it unfortunate that satirical pieces struggle to find a place in this world. Please do not actually show up at Bunnings with any plans of doing this as we are not encouraging this to actually occur at all.”
Read more: A laughing stock: World reacts to Bunnings sausage scandal
As reported by 3AW last week, those serving sausages must now place onions underneath the sausage, not on top as most people usually do.
Bunnings chief operating officer Debbie Poole said in a statement that the tweak would ensure the onion doesn’t fall out and create “a slipping hazard”, and was confident it wouldn’t change how good they taste.
“Safety is always our number one priority and we recently introduced a suggestion that onion be placed underneath sausages to help prevent the onion from falling out and creating a slipping hazard,” she said.
News of the sausage scandal made headlines around the globe, with American newspaper The New York Times poking fun at the crisis crisis and the over-the-top reactions from Australians and how Aussies look to the rest of the world.
“Bunnings, a chain of hardware stores, upended tradition and suggested people put onions on the bottom and not the top of their sausages. Australians were not impressed,” the publication wrote.
“Australians, who take pride in their sausage sizzles, immediately responded with outrage. For many, the guidance was nothing short of an attack on their personal freedom. Yet again.”
The New York Times added: “The discussion got so fevered that Prime Minister Scott Morrison found himself fielding a reporter’s question on Wednesday about whether Bunnings’s guidance was “un-Australian”. He delicately weighed into the fray.”
Talkback radio hosts, news readers, and even politicians have weighed in on the controversial policy.
Proudly Australian owned and operated