It always comes down to transubstantiation versus consubstantiation.

-Lisa Simpson

I don't think that the whole transubstantiation issue is big for Catholics, in practice. But they are supposed to believe that during mass, bread and wine literally turn into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Protestants have a slightly different take. Maybe it only becomes an issue in the context of the British domination of Ireland. I'm not sure, but at least in some Protestant/Anglican circles the Catholic belief was/is considered barbaric. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation#Anglicanism

Maybe it's derived from 19th century Anglicanism, when there were poor houses and Famine Roads?

Side note: As a neutral person (ie atheist), I find the retelling of the "feeding of the multitude" rather dubious. The anti-welfare message isn't there. It's a common conservative talking point in the US, that government welfare makes people dependent. The thing about eating Jesus is from elsewhere. It doesn't belong in that story. The author adapted these pieces from the bible and made inserted their own teachings.

It's funny how little connection there is between scripture and actual teachings. For abortion, they bothered to change the text.