A classic Australian pub dish has once again become the centre of a heated national debate, all thanks to a single comment from Melbourne-born musician G Flip. The singer-songwriter, who uses they/them pronouns, has inadvertently stoked the long-standing argument over the correct abbreviation for a chicken parmigiana.
The Pronounciation That Divided a Nation
During a visit to Old Mates, an Australian pub located in New York, G Flip was asked to name their all-time favourite pub meal order. Their one-word answer? 'It's definitely a parma,' they declared. This seemingly innocuous preference immediately sparked a fiery and amusing discussion among Australians online, reopening a cultural rift that many thought would never be settled.
As is typical in Australian culture, where shortening words is a national pastime, the name for a chicken parmigiana has developed several common variations. The two most prominent and fiercely defended are 'parma' and 'parmi'. The choice of term is not merely personal preference; it is deeply geographical. Victorians, like G Flip, almost universally refer to the dish as a 'parma', while residents of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia predominantly call it a 'parmi'.
Social Media Erupts Over Pub Grub
The online reaction to G Flip's statement was swift and decisive. One social media user retorted, 'Mate, it's a parmi.' Another commented, 'You can pick she's a Victorian... it's PARMI! Not a parma.' The debate even expanded to include other culinary controversies, such as the proper name for a battered potato slice.
Victorians were quick to rally behind their hometown artist. One supporter posted, 'So glad G Flip got the 'parma' pronunciation right,' while another simply stated, 'Parmas all day.' A former Victorian now living on the Gold Coast revealed the ongoing struggle, sharing, 'I live here on the Gold Coast and still say "parma", they don’t like it though.'
An Officially Recognised Rivalry
This is far from a new argument. In 2022, the Australian National Dictionary Centre added fuel to the fire by officially acknowledging both terms, adding both 'parmi' and 'parma' to its list of Australian food terms. This gave lexical legitimacy to both sides of the divide. The debate has even reached the highest levels of state government, with former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews weighing in back in 2018 to insist that the 'correct' term is undoubtedly 'parma'.
During the same interview, G Flip, who now lives in the US after marrying former Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, expressed pleasant surprise at finding another Aussie staple at the New York pub: chicken salt on their chips. When asked about their favourite pubs back home, the artist named Hotel Esplanade (The Espy) in Melbourne and the Love Shack in Castlemaine, Victoria, confirming their deep-rooted connection to the Victorian pub scene. They also confirmed their go-to beer remains a Carlton Draught.
It seems the great Australian 'parma' versus 'parmi' debate is a cultural institution that will continue to spark friendly fire for years to come, uniting and dividing the nation one pub meal at a time.
