Friends, gather round, and let me tell you a thing or two about social deduction in NSW. If you want to gain a major amount of insight into what kind of person someone is, simply ask them about the Red Rooster Line. Depending on which side of the line they grew up in says a lot about the person, but what exactly is the Red Rooster line?
So, welcome to your Red Rooster line education. You’re about to learn a thing or two about yourself and others depending on which suburb you grew up in as a child. Although the concept definitely isn’t new, it’s still incredibly relevant in the 2020’s, as it’s still the perfect way to learn about people instantaneously.
Let me give you a quick education.
Back in 2017, student journalists Natassia Chrysanthos and Ann Ding created a series of ‘food fault lines’ on Google Maps for University of Sydney student newspaper Honi Soit, showcasing how the variance of wealth in NSW suburbs intersects with food chains that exist in certain areas.
Sure, they may have thought they were doing something purely for a brilliant article, but what they didn’t realise was that they had created a cultural cornerstone. Crafted the peak graphic to aid people from the west of Sydney to deduce whether other people had taste or not. These women (to me) are icons of our time.
The Red Rooster Line is essentially a perfect string of Red Rooster chains that divide ‘the ethnic west’ and the ‘affluent north’. So, if you know what an El Jannah is, (Newtown doesn’t count binches) then you’re someone of culture and excellence from the west (of which I am).
If you grew up knowing what a Chargrill Charlie’s is, like many eastern suburbs folk do, then chances are you had a very affluent upbringing, and don’t have a lot in common with us from the western suburbs.
Using these two food chains, one can easily learn about a person’s upbringing and what kind of wealth their parents possessed. As someone from the west, I use this chart in conversation all the time in my life to deduce if someone had a similar upbringing to me.
Instant friends if you know what El Jannah is. Instant besties if you know the pinnacle of all western Sydney eateries, Rashays.
So yeah, next time you’re at a group zoom or friend gathering (whenever the hell that’s allowed again), ask someone about the Red Rooster Line. If they know what you’re talking about, chances are they’re a person of culture, and probably terminally online.
Really it’s more of a tool for those from western Sydney to snuff out the Chargrill Charlie’s fans. Think Westside Story here. Anyone from the affluent north who has been to El Jannah can stay. These are just the rules, I’m but a humble law-abider. Everyone else, it’s war.
Catch you on the west side of the Red Rooster Line friends. That’s where all the fun people are.
