Sydney-based mother Fatimah Omran has faced the wrath of the internet after her apology for creating a “healthy” version of an iconic Australian snack.
Ms Omran posted a video to TikTok making a fairy bread alternative, which used desiccated coconut colored with vegetable juice instead of the traditional hundreds and thousands, back in November 2022.
The video garnered over 14.5 million views and sparked a storm of criticism from Australians, with some declaring “she should hang her head in shame”.
A year later, Ms Omran has now issued an apology on TikTok, but it was far from the contrition many were expecting.
“I owe you all an apology. You’re right, what was I thinking using vegetable juice for fairy bread?” she admitted, before introducing her new recipe using real fruits like strawberries and blueberries to color the coconut.
“I learned my lesson and got a Vitamix to blend up real fruits this time,” she added, confident that her daughter would love this “new and improved version of healthy fairy bread”.
However, the internet’s response was anything but positive, with many pleading on the mum to “Just give her f***ing fairy bread”.
“How bloody sad – and looks yuck – how mean are you,” another raged.
“Let the kid be a kid,” someone else begged.
As one lamented: “Don’t….Mess…WIth…FAIRY BREAD!”
“Please stop,” someone else stated.
She received further criticism for putting strawberries and mandarins in the blender without removing the stems and rind.
In an attempt to make amendments, Ms Omran then posted another video to TikTok supporting the Pajama Foundation’s Fairy Bread Day, showcasing traditional fairy bread and introducing ‘hagelslag,’ a Dutch version involving bread with peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles.
“If you’re an Aussie like me, fairy bread is the king of party food,” she says in her video, adding, “If you’re Dutch, then hagelslag is your go-to breakfast food.”
Yet, this cultural crossover only intensified the debate.
While some Australian commenters were relieved to see traditional fairy bread, Dutch viewers criticized Ms Omran’s recipe.
“I’m Dutch and we don’t use peanut butter,” one commenter wrote with crying emojis, and another added, “I’m Dutch we use butter, I’ve never ever in my life seen it with peanut butter.”
Ms Omran previously told news.com.au “it was mind boggling how much hate” she received to her original video, labeling the reaction “sad”.
“It’s a sad world when a mother is threatened with feeding her children healthy food,” she said.
“It shocks me that people are so passionate about a sandwich.”