Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Chocolate elitism

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  • Emma Hart,

    You want chocolate snobbery? Course you do. Now you can buy Schoc on-line. The strawberry and black pepper is awesome.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • James Harton,

    Russell, last link on the page (on their home page) doesn't work for me.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2007 • 51 posts Report Reply

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Lindt is surprisingly cheap these days; I also rate the Trade Aid chocolate pretty highly and I always get a kick out of reading that it's '76%' free trade . . .

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I also feel I need to address comments I've heard from a couple of other journalists: to the effect that it was a bit rich for her to complain about media intrusion if she was going to give interviews.

    Would these be the same people who were quite happy to print stories alleging she was an attention-seeking extortionist who probably got off on being knocked around?

    Oh, and as for that bitch who wanted a pat on the head for NOT printing a photo of Je Lin and Don Brash eating breakfast in their own home. Put some Lily Allen on the stereo -- you know the track.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Put some Lily Allen on the stereo -- you know the track.

    I thought of you in pretty much real time when she said that.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • James Harton,

    Oh, and on the subject of chocolate. Green & Black's 70% cocoa dark chocolate is the perfect addition to a well made short black.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2007 • 51 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Russell, last link on the page (on their home page) doesn't work for me.

    Thanks, fixed now. Was suffering HTML blindness.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Oh, and on the subject of chocolate. Green & Black's 70% cocoa dark chocolate is the perfect addition to a well made short black.

    It rather likes a single malt in the evenings as well.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Rogan Polkinghorne,

    Loving Auto Tune the News, they get better each time...thanks RB!

    A-town • Since Nov 2006 • 105 posts Report Reply

  • Brodie Davis,

    How did that ad even get complaints to the BSC? It only listed facts, and stuff that was on the back of each brands packets. Maybe kiwis are not used to that style of advertising, but it wasn't saying that dairy milk was made up of ground puppies and kittens.

    Since Aug 2008 • 54 posts Report Reply

  • James Harton,

    It rather likes a single malt in the evenings as well.

    OMG. I have some 15 year old Glenfiddich at home. I shall test your theory tonight and report back.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2007 • 51 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I thought of you in pretty much real time when she said that.

    Well, I just don't believe that there was any ethical imperative or human empathy involved in the decision not to run that photo. I know Media7 could never do it, but it would be delicious to have these tabloid suck-heads get a taste of their own poison -- and have their reactions broadcast for all the world to see.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    OMG. I have some 15 year old Glenfiddich at home. I shall test your theory tonight and report back.

    That's the, er, spirit.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    I have to admit the John Cambell slot on the whitakers had me trying a sante (I think their plan for the recession is to laud a random kiwi business every night). It did help clarify something that must have been lurking in the back of my mind - it's actually bad milk chocolate I don't like.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Favourite thing: every Autotune the News I've seen has at least one awesome 'shortayee' in it (usually directed at Katie Couric). Heh.

    I like Cadburys. Yes, Lindt etc is better, but sometimes chocolate is chocolate. Of course, I have no real taste for many other Finer Things either (see also: wine), so I'm chalking it up to my fundamental flaws as a person. :)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    The guy pouring the samples at mission estate said he enjoyed dark chocolate and merlot of an evening.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    I have to say I was enormously proud of myself the other night in the supermarket for not even wanting to taste the Cadbury's samples on offer.
    As for the Media7 show, something really needs to be done about media intrusion. I was once very peripherally involved in a very high profile case, long over, and only as a bit player. But my place of work abutted a public walkway. A journalist from TVNZ approached me with his cameraman because they wanted to take footage in our playground. At the time, we were grieving the loss of one our children - and this man wanted to take poignant pictures of the kindergarten playground this child had once played in, and it was this specific child's death they were interested in. He asked me if he could film in the playground. I told him no, the playground was private property, only for him to snort and say that the walkway was public, and that if I refused, they would just take footage from there. I was so upset, I couldn't think. I was lucky enough that this wasn't my property, and it wasn't my call. I made that call to my employer who said it was okay for them to come in. We locked ourselves in that kindergarten and sobbed until they had gone, with horror at the cavalier attitude they had to our feelings. And we weren't the main players. How on earth do these people justify their behaviour, at times? Sure, they couldn't go on Ms DP's property, but they waited down her driveway. On a public road. Because they're allowed to. Really, they just disgust me. If there's nothing the law can do, surely the editors of the Sunday rags need to take a good look at their morality. And as for that woman - Miriana Alexander. Are you kidding me? Justifying all the way. It's okay to hound someone because you are standing in a public place whilst you take intrusive photos? Others here are more qualified than me to guess what the solutions are, here. And I still just want to stroke Kristin's hair and tell her that she's okay, that this will all die down, and that those bastards will get theirs.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • Judy Callingham,

    "So I do think that Whittaker's has a point in its attack advertising against Cadbury, even if its marketing director Philip Poole should never be allowed on Close Up again without some media training"

    Couldn't agree more about the training. But I wouldn't automatically assume that the complaint was generated by the opposition. Nothing attracts free publicity like a complaint to the ASCB, and it's not unknown for companies to engineer them.

    It's Linz for us - but Schoc sounds fairly amazing. With a long black and a brandy, please.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2009 • 13 posts Report Reply

  • B Jones,

    I suppose it had to happen, given that Cadbury's has been doing their Old Gold brand for some time, and needed a point of difference between that and its other brands. You'd think they'd make the OG better rather than the DM worse, though. The price of it all seems to have come down in recent years.

    I tap out at around the 60-70% cocoa range - any more than that tastes great but tends to turn into cement in my stomach.

    Schoc's tequila, lime and salt chocolate is completely counterintuitive, but really very good.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 976 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    . . . sometimes chocolate is chocolate.

    And then there's choc, as found in (usually) cheap confectionery and baked goods. I suspect that describing a product as "choc" whatever is a legal nicety which can be taken to mean that it contains no cocoa products, just solidified grease, sugar and chemicals. Does anyone know?

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • James Green,

    A Cadbury PR guy has claimed that "sales are up". Given that the new chocolate is smaller, I wonder whether they're actually selling more chocolate to achieve this increased sale!

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • Ewan Morris,

    On media intrusion and privacy - if anyone would like to contribute their views or experiences to a Law Commission review of privacy, check out http://www.talklaw.co.nz/privacyreview.

    Since Nov 2006 • 48 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    I really miss Mexican chocolate - the stuff with the evil chillis in it - I found something here recently but sadly you can't have the same discussion with a bar of chocolate you can have with the guy at the Indian restaurant about how yes you really do want it that hot

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler,

    OMG. I have some 15 year old Glenfiddich at home.

    sighs I guess it's Whittakers and Famous Grouse for me.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • Stupid,

    I find that Whittakers Almond Gold and a nice NZ Pinot Noir is a wicked combination. The sweet alkalinity of the chocolate & almonds balances the relatively acidic fruit of the pinot. Works for me.

    Also interesting to note that Whittakers is the only brand of NZ made chocolate that guarantees not to be using any GE content. Cadbury's cannot say that.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 75 posts Report Reply

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