Smashed avo discounts to drive house buying
Photo: The Retirement Plan: Avo, Vegemite, beefsteak tomato. (Little Big Sugar Salt Cafe)
So over the last week, the humble avocado has been the focus of much attention in Australia.
That comes after columnist Bernard Salt wrote a controversial piece in the Weekend Australian magazine suggesting the high cost of avocados was stopping young people from buying property.
“I have seen young people order smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more,” Salt wrote.
“I can afford to eat this for lunch because I am middle-aged and have raised my family. But how can young people afford to eat like this?
“Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house.”
Going from the response on social media, it went down like a brick parachute with the millennials. The following responses gives us some idea of how younger people feel about Salt’s analysis.
“Bernard is right. If the youngens want to own property they should quit eating smashed avocado and start eating the rich”, “Skipped smashed avocado for breakfast this morning. Excited to buy a house next week”, “I hope the state forcefully expropriates bernard salt's house and then beats him to death with avocado.”
On the plus side, it’s seen cafes discounting smashed avo – just to help the young buy a house.
Hawthorn Common for example has come out with the Baby Boomer - half an avo with two slices of toast for just $10. Given the cheap price, you have to smash it yourself.
Left Field in the Melbourne suburb of Carnegie has a Corn-tract of Sale. Ten dollars will buy you a smashed avo on toast with charred corn, chilli salsa and lime.
Little Big Sugar Salt in Melbourne's Abbotsford has one called The Retirement Plan: avocado, Vegemite and tomato on toast for $10. It replaces the more upmarket version of expensive goat's curd and beetroot kraut.
"Save $7 on our avocado take, put it towards the Retirement Plan," the café says.
Sydney has come up with similar dishes such as the Home Saver's Signature Avocado and The Millennial.
Whether the cheap avocados will drive the housing market remains to be seen.
It might help provided issues like supply of housing and negative gearing are tackled too.
by Leon Gettler, October 20th 2016
