When I was a youngster my father used to give me advice about the perils of drinking. Not to totally warn me off the demon drink; but “Stick to beer” he used to say. I noted, somewhat sardonically, that despite this homily he did enjoy the occasional whisky himself. He warned me off spirits, but kept his greatest dehortation for the imbibing of wine. “People who drink wine,” he opined “Were destined to become alcoholics.” To emphasise the point he reminded me that back then they actually called alcoholics “winos.”
However we’ve recently found out that the real “demon drink” is Coca-Cola. Infused with the 21st century’s most despised poison, sugar, it is causing obesity and diabetes.
Sugary carbonated beverages have always been readily available to the unsuspecting populous, why they have only recently become dangerous to consume is not explained.
Last week on Seven Sharp the two giggling Gerties that front the show interviewed the CEO of Coca-Cola Australasia wanting to know what he was going to do about his deadly product. Looking lost for words, the best answer he could come up with was that he was reducing the size of the cans. Pretty well every product on the supermarket shelves are going down in size, but being sold at the same price, so his solution is hardly revolutionary. The Seven Sharp hosts trotted out the old hoary chestnut about Coca-Cola being cheaper than milk; it’s not of course, but the media never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
My father was a generous supplier of fizzy drink to our household, sometimes buying the rare Schweppes product from Moore Wilson’s, but more often the mixed range from the Wairarapa Aerated Water Company better known by its acronym WACO. Schweppes seemed to only have one flavour, an orange product called Palato whereas the WACO range was far more extensive with the usual orange, raspberry, lime and lemon varieties and also cola, creaming soda and a blue coloured concoction appropriately called blue lagoon.
But the locals were soon overwhelmed by the brash American juggernaut and the Coca-Cola range caused the small bottlers in New Zealand’s town and cities to shut up shop leaving us with Coke, Fanta and Sprite and a less colourful world.
Then wine suddenly gained new respectability. After the government paid vintners to pull out all their vines because the wrong varieties had been planted a revitalised industry built up to serve a thirsty throng who had never had the cautioning words of my father ringing in their ears.
Sophisticated marketing was the key and the best wordsmiths available were summoned to compose sentences for the labels. An example: “Mouth filling, fresh and supple with good depth of cherry/red berry spice flavours and finely integrated smokey oak aromas abound.” This on a bottle of Pinot Noir from Nelson that a dinner guest assured me was an “audacious little wine, which left a subtle hint of gooseberry and passion fruit on the palate.”
I seriously considered having him committed.
So which is the lesser of the two evils; sugary drinks or drinks served with sugary sentences?
Both are deadly in the long run, I suspect.
However we’ve recently found out that the real “demon drink” is Coca-Cola. Infused with the 21st century’s most despised poison, sugar, it is causing obesity and diabetes.
Sugary carbonated beverages have always been readily available to the unsuspecting populous, why they have only recently become dangerous to consume is not explained.
Last week on Seven Sharp the two giggling Gerties that front the show interviewed the CEO of Coca-Cola Australasia wanting to know what he was going to do about his deadly product. Looking lost for words, the best answer he could come up with was that he was reducing the size of the cans. Pretty well every product on the supermarket shelves are going down in size, but being sold at the same price, so his solution is hardly revolutionary. The Seven Sharp hosts trotted out the old hoary chestnut about Coca-Cola being cheaper than milk; it’s not of course, but the media never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
My father was a generous supplier of fizzy drink to our household, sometimes buying the rare Schweppes product from Moore Wilson’s, but more often the mixed range from the Wairarapa Aerated Water Company better known by its acronym WACO. Schweppes seemed to only have one flavour, an orange product called Palato whereas the WACO range was far more extensive with the usual orange, raspberry, lime and lemon varieties and also cola, creaming soda and a blue coloured concoction appropriately called blue lagoon.
But the locals were soon overwhelmed by the brash American juggernaut and the Coca-Cola range caused the small bottlers in New Zealand’s town and cities to shut up shop leaving us with Coke, Fanta and Sprite and a less colourful world.
Then wine suddenly gained new respectability. After the government paid vintners to pull out all their vines because the wrong varieties had been planted a revitalised industry built up to serve a thirsty throng who had never had the cautioning words of my father ringing in their ears.
Sophisticated marketing was the key and the best wordsmiths available were summoned to compose sentences for the labels. An example: “Mouth filling, fresh and supple with good depth of cherry/red berry spice flavours and finely integrated smokey oak aromas abound.” This on a bottle of Pinot Noir from Nelson that a dinner guest assured me was an “audacious little wine, which left a subtle hint of gooseberry and passion fruit on the palate.”
I seriously considered having him committed.
So which is the lesser of the two evils; sugary drinks or drinks served with sugary sentences?
Both are deadly in the long run, I suspect.
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