Featured in the Seinfeld episode The Dinner Party, Jerry’s proclamation to Elaine is as much about race relations as it is paying homage to one of New York city’s favourite foods. The black and white cookie is, in fact, not a cookie, but a flat cake with a thin frosting of vanilla and chocolate. As anyone who has watched the above Seinfeld episode will know, the key to eating it is to ensure you get a balance of black and white with each bite - “nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate”.

We thought we’d bring some to the football where our team, the mighty Collingwood Magpies, who play in black and white stripes, were playing the Richmond Tigers. Home-made by Mellie (you can find the recipe here), the cookies were delicious, texturally cakey and sweetly frosted with icing. We felt at peace with racial harmony. It must have been a good omen too: after trailing miserably to Richmond, the undermanned ‘Pies came back in the second half of the game to swamp the Tigers and come away with a solid 25 point win.

The connection to the cookie is not lost here either, as Collingwood’s sister Australian Rules footy club in the United States are the New York Magpies.