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10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS Politics over a pastizz: The ALEX Borg is only the latest politician to scale the likeability index by hobnobbing with com- mon people eating pastizzi at Rabat's Serkin. Borg posted the photo of him- self accompanied by PN MP Charles Azzopardi, a former mayor of Rabat, on social me- dia. The photo was captioned: "Coffee, two pastizzi, and a few words among friends." Despite the irresistible smell and comforting crunch of the humble pastizz, the reason for Borg's visit to Serkin, we sus- pect, had little to do with his love of puff pastry and milky tea in a glass. But Borg knows the power of the pastizz, which apart from being a symbol of Maltese fast- food cuisine, has become a way for politicians to show that they are one with the people. It's a very common practice and images of politicians posing with pastizzi have even become a running joke in the MaltaTo- day newsroom that has been collecting the images for that unprintable office banter. The power of the pastizz was put on full view a few years back when then Prime Minister Jo- seph Muscat treated a handful of fellow EU leaders to pastizzi at Serkin. The occasion turned into a controversial episode that re- mains embedded in the Maltese psyche—Pastizzigate, if you will. In 2017, Muscat and his wife accompanied four European prime ministers and their part- ners to Serkin during an off day after a summit. The photos tak- en that day show the European leaders smiling and enjoying the simplicity of the Maltese pasti- zz in a traditional titotla. And it wasn't just any other watering hole… it was Serkin, an iconic establishment that rich passport buyers once presented receipts from to show their "genuine links" to Malta. But the prime minister's ges- ture did not go down well with everyone. Enter Ann Fenech, then presi- dent of the PN's executive com- mittee, who was bewildered af- ter seeing Muscat showing the European leaders what a break- fast of champions in Malta looks like. In a Facebook post that might as well be included in the Mal- tese dictionary under the word 'għoxxata' (loosely translated as 'fuckup'), Fenech took issue with Muscat's choice of venue, calling it "common and crude." The backlash she received wasn't limited to the usual La- bour trolls on social media. People from different walks of life and political beliefs came together in a rare instance of national unity to bash what they called "elitism" and "snobbery". Her comments were construed as an insult to the ordinary way of life that valorises the pastizz, the tea in a glass and the tradi- tional titotla like Serkin. The gravity of her mistake wasn't lost on Fenech, who later apologised to those who were offended and went on to grace social media with a photo of herself enjoying a pastizz and milky tea straight from the glass at Serkin. Speaking to MaltaToday eight years after Pastizzigate, Fenech says that her comment was tak- en out of context, explaining how she felt Muscat had other venue options to take the for- eign leaders out. Looking back, she states the episode taught her that when one is in politics, one must be extremely cautious of their words. Addressing those who may still doubt her love for pas- tizzi, she tells MaltaToday that "of course" she is a fan of the pastizz, so much so that when asked whether she prefers ricot- ta or pea pastizzi, she replies "both." In the years that followed Pas- tizzigate, posing with pastizzi and tea has become an easy way for politicians to collect likes and boost their image as a reg- ular person. Speaking to MaltaToday out- side his shop, Serkin owner Kenneth Ciangura says that, from revellers stumbling their way toward the Crystal Pal- ace Bar—its actual name—af- ter a night out, to celebrities like strongman Eddie Hall, the shop's walls have seen it all. Even during a visit to the Ra- bat place on a Friday morning, Serkin was serving men in suits ahead of a work day, elderly peo- ple who had gone out for some tea in the morning, and friends discussing current events and the latest football transfers. The spectrum of Maltese society was there, united by their love of the pastizz. Kenneth says that he is not surprised at all by the number of Maltese and foreign politicians he served at Serkin because, as he simply puts it: "Everyone comes here." He adds with a smile that he enjoys seeing dif- ferent people enjoying a pastizz. Easily consumed, lacks nutrition Trying to decipher the power of pastizzi-eating politicians, MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg marking his baptism in the politics of pastizzi at Serkin