Harry's Cafe de Wheels

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

This food truck represents the intersection of the food culture shift from British to American style foods. The left promotes pies, a typically British food, whilst the right promotes the hotdog, one of America’s favourite foods.

The hotdog industry had particularly expanded following a survey which named hotdogs the favourite food of the US forces.(1) US army food controllers commissioned Australia butchers to manufacture sausages to taste exactly like US hotdogs.(2) Hotdogs became highly popular as sausages weren’t subject to rationing.(3)

Australians allowed hotdogs to replace “frankfurts,”(4) which due to their Germany links had fallen from favour.

1. “Hot Dogs,” Warwick Daily News, 8 April 1943.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/190762801?searchTerm=hot%20dogs%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=l-decade=194|||l-availability=y%2Ff|||l-australian=y
2. Ibin.
3. H. E. Daw, Rationing in Australia, 27.
4. “Woman Sells Hot Dogs,” Army News (Darwin), 9 June 1944.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/38335122?searchTerm=hot%20dogs%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=l-decade=194|||l-availability=y%2Ff|||l-australian=y

https://collection.maas.museum/object/46876

c. 1945