So on my regular trips Auckland to the Mount and back Ive started stopping in Pokeno to buy some of their delicious sausages.

I stopped in on a Saturday afternoon recently and wondered what was going on as there were lots of people milling around.
Then I noticed that they were queuing to buy the HUGE - and I mean HUGE scoop after scoop of icecream.

I looked at the menu and they were selling 12 scoop icecreams and they werent that expensive.

It was quite unsettling seeing people who were already overweight consuming not just big but ridiculous sized icecreams.

What it looked like to me was Asian/Indi*n shop owners selling cheap thrills to overweight Pacifica people.

Im not having ago at eating a large icecream BUT seriously this was over the top - 3 scoops is more than we need as a dessert or regular Saturday treat after church.

I thought it was sad and just fueling the obesity problem we have in NZ.

Vanessa

Vanessa45 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So on my regular trips Auckland to the Mount and
> back Ive started stopping in Pokeno to buy some of
> their delicious sausages.
>
> I stopped in on a Saturday afternoon recently and
> wondered what was going on as there were lots of
> people milling around.
> Then I noticed that they were queuing to buy the
> HUGE - and I mean HUGE scoop after scoop of
> icecream.
>
> I looked at the menu and they were selling 12
> scoop icecreams and they werent that expensive.
>
> It was quite unsettling seeing people who were
> already overweight consuming not just big but
> ridiculous sized icecreams.
>
> What it looked like to me was Asian/Indi*n shop
> owners selling cheap thrills to overweight
> Pacifica people.
>
> Im not having ago at eating a large icecream BUT
> seriously this was over the top - 3 scoops is more
> than we need as a dessert or regular Saturday
> treat after church.
>
> I thought it was sad and just fueling the obesity
> problem we have in NZ.
>
> Vanessa

You can't blame businesses for selling to make money. People need to want to change, they need to know how to change which is an education problem. There are a lot of bad things people can consume or do, you can't control it.

My son at 7 has a really clear idea on the food triangle and hassles us if we put too much of something at the top in his food which is something he learned at school. My feeling is that for a lot of systemic issues, the current generation of adults over 30 are beyond help, but the kids at primary, are getting so much more education and awareness on all sorts of things like healthy eating, planet care, recycling, anti-bullying, online safety, I think we will be better off in a while.

There will be exceptions, there will always be the small percentage of people who want to over indulge in whatever is their "drug" of choice.

Ouch ! I am neither overweight nor a Pacific Islander, a stop at Pokeno for an ice-cream has always been a treat, just a single scoop ! There is a story behind the little settlement of Pokeno, may I respectfully suggest that you read a little bit about it before making a sweeping generalisation.

Cheers,

Beverley

wow - I dont post on here often (& fully agree that we all have different opinions & viewpoints raised here at times) but thought that the OP was sounding pretty judgemental.
A health crisis is something for everyone to consider & maybe this particular community is already aware of issues there, but in the end none of us should mind what others are doing, if it is not directly effecting me/you or hurting anyone. My own POV & dont want to offend.

Sad you had to mention the ethnic groups Vanessa in your story.................

I do remember those ice creams in Pokeno. Loved to stop there on our way South whenever we had the time. Like Bev, single scoop for me. An enjoyable treat.

Stopping at Pokeno for an ice cream on a return home from rowing regattas in Cambridge is a ritual for our kids.
They sit in the car checking the minutes to make sure we are going to be there before the shops shut.
The reason they choose Pokeno is for the size of the ice creams for the price - yes they are extraordinarily generous.
The shops selling ice creams also sell fried fast food I think - don't they?
These shops often have carloads of rowing families when we stop so it is great that they have a reputation that encourages us to leave the motorway and head into town.

I think the ice cream shops are also possibly a meeting point for a sector of the local community and yes Vanessa is right, many of the people who mill around the stores are very overweight. And yes they do seem to be predominantly Maori/Pacifica.
I would imagine that this group of people (we see at the ice cream shops) are living on low/no incomes and relying on cheap carbohydrates to satisfy them.
Unfortunately this is a huge issue in New Zealand in our lower decile communities. Not a simple one to fix at all but one that we need to address due to the impact it has both for their personal lives and also on our health system.
So much support and education needed...

I think it's fine that Vanessa45 mentioned the ethnic groups if that is what she observed. She didn't make a "sweeping generalisation" based on assumptions, she reported what she saw.

Beverley, what's the story about Pokeno that vindicates obese people eating twelve scoops of ice cream in one go? I'm curious now.

My daughter used to work in a dairy here that is well known for it's ice creams...also a regular stop for many people using the bypass. The owner takes a loss on the ice cream in order to get people into the store, where very often they buy other things with a much higher mark up. Dairy's are businesses after all and have a right to try to make money.
I wonder if Vanessa was there just as a local church let out to have seen so many PI people (obese or not)....if she'd been there at another time she may have formed the opinion that all the clientele were well off (comparatively) pakeha teenagers and their parents wearing rowing gear!

Its a nationwide problem which we all need to find solutions for....but equally we need to look beyond certain products.....I mean having 12 scoops of icecream is only an issue if you are doing it regularly and then on the other hand we can't criticise those who try and/or try and succeed in giving up sugar.

Sorry, it is beyond my dignity to answer your Post

Cheers,
Hope tomorrow is a happier day for you

edited to add that this is directed at DK.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2017 07:42AM by Beverley.

Hi all

Thanks for all your opinions, we all have the right to these.

I mentioned the ethnicity groups because its what I observed and as its often documented there is a huge issue with obesity related issues in certain ethnic groups. Yes I also totally agree the issue stems in education however the shops have a responsibility too.
There was no racist innuendo in my post.

I thought it was sad that the shops went to the extreme that they did selling cheap and ridiculous sized icecreams (all 3 shops), I do believe they have an obligation to keep things reasonable. A bar isnt legally allowed to sell lots of drink for cheap prices, they have to be responsible hosts, why isnt it the same for food outlets? Even Mc Donalds with its upsizing seems to have toned it down now having healthy options and they dont appear they ask you anymore to upsize.

Its like the softdrink issue - most kids will go for the cheap 2 litre coke over the expensive bottle because you get more bang for your buck and in the process they consume all that sugar. There is another issue.

Dont get me wrong I like treats and even over indulging, just not to the level of a 4+ icecream scoop.

And for the record, if it was the rowing boys pigging out in Pokeno, Id still write the post.

Vanessa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2017 06:10AM by Vanessa45.

Yes, just as addiction (to food, cigarettes, drugs, alcohol...) is a dysfunction of self-regulation, we also have a dysfunctional food supply (which some people are more susceptible to than others).

Reading another book about food – First Bite – How We Learn To Eat by Bee Wilson. Part of one chapter talks about the obesity problem in Kuwait (42.8% of its population is obese) and states:–

“Oil money has made Kuwait one of the richest countries in the world per capita, with vast shopping malls, a culture of eating out, going to these places in luxury cars, and having plenty of disposable cash for snacking. The wealth of Kuwait means that excess food has become affordable to many, hence the fact that weight gain has been far more rapid there than in poorer countries of the Middle East, such as Syria or Algeria.”

This struck me as being the opposite to the reason given in countries like New Zealand, where obesity is often blamed on poverty, as in poor people consume cheap, processed carbs and thus become obese.

So, on the one hand they’re saying poor people get obese because they’re poor, and on the other hand they’re saying rich people get obese because they’re rich.

Again, it sounds like excuses for the closer truth of dysfunction of self-regulation, further influenced by dysfunctional food supply and culture.

Again, it sounds like excuses for the closer truth of dysfunction of self-regulation, further influenced by dysfunctional food supply and culture.

Thankyou for posting that, J1.

For some reason some of us have a tendency to blame something or someone else for our failings. Maybe it is just human nature.

I'm not the perfect being and I 'suffer' from that dysfunction occasionally, but only occasionally.
Those icecreams at Pokeno are known to many and no wonder it's a popular stop. The icecreams are a real treat.

@Beverly. I don't know why your reply to me mentioned being beyond your dignity to reply and hoping I have a better day. That sounds really snarky to me.
I just asked a question to which I don't know the answer. I was genuinely curious but now am taken aback at your reply. I'll know better than to express an interest from now on.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2017 10:03AM by DK.

Im curious about the story about the little settlement of Pokeno - I did do a little googling after I did my first post and thought it was all about competition between the ice cream shops.

My point being, I still think its not very responsible selling such HUGE and cheap ice creams.
I love treats and have a lack of will power at times but in my opinion it is taking it to another level.

This post was never about racism, more highlighting an worldwide problem. I loved the information about Kuwait and the contrast between the rich and poor on this issue - its very interesting.

For the record, theres nothing like a friendly debate with very different opinions but lets keep it above board.

Vanessa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2017 09:54AM by Vanessa45.

I just (in my mind) clicked a like button, Vanessa. Well done!

Thanks Stephanie - liked right back at you.