There was an article in Stuff (a Kiwi online news site) today about Kiwi Treason. It talks about Kiwis who admit to not liking things that they are expected to like if they are loyal Kiwis. It’s tongue and cheek of course, but funny since my blog yesterday was about Marmite and Vegemite and one of the treasonous sayings listed in the article is that they don’t taste that different.
Other ‘treasons’ are to not like Pineapple Lumps, to not love rugby, or to think that Hokey Pokey ice cream isn’t all that. Pineapple Lumps are a bit crazy — I think you have to be a Kiwi to truly appreciate them. They are basically a chewy taffy lump covered with a layer of milk chocolate. They aren’t bad — I like them but I can’t imagine craving them and they are in ALL of the gift shops and convenience stores as Kiwiana and I just don’t see the hype.
The truly funny thing about Pineapple Lumps is that they don’t taste like pineapple! They were originally made in 1952 by a confectionary company that was trying to use up waste products from other lollies (candies). The waste product they used was from a chocolate fish with a banana flavored marshmallow center. That’s right, Pineapple Lumps taste more like banana than pineapple? The ingredients now say that they contain pineapple juice but to me they still taste more like banana.
There’s also a comment in Kiwi Treason about how Richie McCaw didn’t really need a movie. Richie McCaw deserves his own blog post and I personally am looking forward to seeing the upcoming movie about him — Chasing Great. I’m not a big sports fan but I watched him lead the NZ Rugby team to win the World Cup earlier this year and that was such a big part of Kiwi pride and identity that I think he did need a movie and I hope it’s a good one!
Wendy's Gone Walkabout 