18 Jul 2021

If you’re thinking about a job in construction, you may immediately get the image of meat pies and energy drinks for three meals a day. But do the stereotypical meal choices ring true in 2021? We grabbed some young tradies to give us their calls on what meals make the cut when they’re out on site:

Meat Pie

Let’s start out with the classics - surely this staple of our great cultural tapestry will make it out as a god-tier snack? Somehow, the jury has come back with just a B tier. Now don’t get me wrong, a B is respectable - above average, but certainly not spectacular. The key verdict - the perfect meal for a Monday after a big weekend, but probably not one for every day.

Quinoa Salad

It may be a super-grain, but according to the boys it’s far from a super-good choice as far as  lunch is concerned. Mind you, 2/3rds of the panel didn’t seem all that clear on what quinoa actually was, so maybe Big Quinoa has some work to do getting tradie awareness up here in Aus. Maybe instead of trucks handing out cans of Red Bull we could get some salad cups passed out on site? If you know the CEO of Quinoa, get them to DM me - I’ve got loads of great ideas that I’m willing to give them (for a price of course).

Spag Bol

Okay they were out of pocket on this one. Spag bol? A B tier? Look, maybe things are a little skewed if you’re eating it cold, but if you can get access to a microwave you’re sitting pretty. I’m glad that the mention of a mum’s spag bol saved it from a C tier, but if I’m talking about my mum’s cooking in a video going out to the world, it’s an immediate S tier. I don’t need it coming back to her that I said anything less.

7/11 Sausage Roll

Once again, the mainstay of the tradie stereotype only manages a mid-range score. Let’s be real though, meat and pastry isn’t exactly providing you with the low-GI clean energy for a long day out on a job. Maybe good for soaking up some of the toxins from a night out on the town, but probably not the cornerstone of the blue-collar workers’ diet.

Bacon and Egg Roll

That’s what we’re here to see. The B&E is simultaneously a controversial and uncontroversial take. Just about everyone likes a B&E, but usually only how they like it. Do you put aioli on there? Do you want runny yolk or a hard scramble? These questions will plague us for the rest of our short existence on this planet, but I’m glad that we can all agree that much like pizza, you really can’t go too wrong.

Flat White

Did you know that the Flat White is an Aussie invention? The Kiwis of course have tried to make their claim, but I think we all know who the brains are behind this kind of operation. Either way, while the panel conceded that a flat white wasn’t a meal in and of itself, it still deserves a place in the rankings.

Banh Mi

It’s good to see a bit of culture coming in to the mix with the humble Banh Mi. It’s honestly a little terrifying to imagine a world without a spicy mix of pork, pickled veg and an obscene amount of chili in a reasonably priced, fluffy yet crunchy roll. This meal got the ranking it deserved.

Acaí Bowl

An instant god tier for the Acaí bowl, and for good reason. Once mainly popular among BJJ enthusiasts and people who know what maté is, the mainstreaming of MMA as well as our South American friends coming over to enjoy our beaches has made some huge changes to the tradie diet over the years. Fresh fruit, great taste and a nice way to cool down on a hot day outdoors, it’s pretty damn unbeatable.

Assorted Fruit

Pretty much the acaí bowl without the açai right? Good source of vitamins, fibre, and some sugar to keep you going makes this the ideal snack out on site. They're portable and don't need any fancy equipment to eat them either. You've gotta get your 2 and 5 somehow, and for my money a simple banana or mandarin scarfed down while you scroll your phone is a damn fine way to do it.

Maximus

A big bottle for a big effort aye? To be real for a sec, if you’re going to be out on a hot day, you can’t just rely on water for rehydrating. That’s where those electrolytes (and some sugar if we’re being real) come in. As the scientists know, it’s what plants crave, and clearly it’s what our tradies craved as well.

As you can see, the times have certainly changed if you’re starting out on site, and the way things are going, it’s more than their lunch boxes that are changing. If you want to see what working in construction is really like, and how things could look in the future, why not check out our Academy The New-Print Of Construction?