Not sure if it's intentional, probably not, but mealie is also the South African colloquial word for corn. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mealie
That’s funny I’ve only heard the term used to describe bad apples
And pronounced not quite the same either as the usual Southern African word for "an ear of maize", or the products made therefrom, e.g. "meilie meal" (1) and "mieliepap" : corn porridge / grits (2).