New Zealands PM Thinks Canned Spaghetti Is An Acceptable Pizza Topping

Today in “World Leaders with Unacceptable Food Preferences”: Bill English, the prime minister of New Zealand, has provoked ire worldwide by posting to Facebook that he had made pizza topped with canned spaghetti for dinner for his family earlier this week.
The photos on the prime minister’s Facebook account show the pizzas, topped with canned spaghetti and what looks to be pineapple as well—a virtual thumbing of his nose at Iceland’s president, who notoriously declared a few weeks ago that pizza topped with the tropical fruit ought to be outlawed.

At least this takes the focus off of the Iceland incident, as well as Donald Trump and his overcooked steak with ketchup. But still.
The post drew worldwide attention—at the time of this writing it had received nearly 10,000 “likes” and nearly 2,000 comments, which ranged from the practical (“Suggest you use some baking paper underneath it to save having this mess to clean up afterward” read one comment) to the political. “I might vote Labour now Bill. This is like shitting on Italy” one outraged commenter said. “Sorry Bill, any man who puts spaghetti on a pizza is not fit to run my country, you cannot count on my vote come election time” wrote another.
Some commenters seemed to be in favor of the combination. Many more declared it to be utterly disgusting. “Bill, we need to clear a few things up: Pineapple in fruit salad. Spaghetti on toast. Pepperoni on a pizza. But full credit for making dinner.”
Even Mr. English seemed to consider the spaghetti-pizza a failed experiment, noting it turned out a little soggy, writing, “I drained off some of the liquid [from the can] but not quite enough since pizza was a bit soggy in the middle. Goes well with pineapple.”
But on the other hand, a prime minister who finds time to cook for his family while still running his country sets a pretty good example, no?

About the author

Kathryn Maier

NYC Food & Drink Editor

Kathryn has eaten her way around the globe, seeking out local delicacies in more than 40 countries and counting. After receiving a Master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she began writing about travel, food, and drink, and has held editorial roles at luxury publications including Conde Nast Traveler and the Robb Report. When she's in NYC, she can generally be found on a barstool at one of the city's best cocktail bars or at home sipping fine wine with her cat on her lap.