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Denver-Mall.Com
Press Release : Article : Denver Colorado
On the Road - Easter Down Under
by Bev Saidel
11 April 2009
It’s Easter time Down Under and that means a lot of things to a lot of
people. There are the wonderful easter egg hunts, the sunrise services,
the hopeful messages from religious leaders and, of course, the
opportunity for retailers to display one hundred and one types of
chocolate Easter candy. This interesting aspect of Easter in Sydney has
always been one of wonderment and surprise for me because never in my
ramblings across the US have I seen such decadent displays of chocolate
Easter eggs literally everywhere you go.
Obviously Easter is hugely traditional here in all of its trappings.
Russian and Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopalian and Catholic
congregations are all “full on” for the end of Lent. And that aspect,
the aspect of the end of Lent, can be seen in grocery stores, chemist
shops, the independent retail stores that line the streets and shopping
malls where massive displays of Easter chocolate encourage those who
have gone without since Ash Wednesday, to buy, buy, BUY! chocolate in
every shape and size.
Sure there are just regular, plain old hollow and solid eggs. But there
are also eggs filled with caramel, marshmallow, mint flavoring, rocky
road chunks and “goo” thanks to Cadbury who has produced a series of
30-second television ads wherein the “egg” finds ways to commit suicide
in order to show us it is filled with “goo.” This psychotic display goes
on while we watch the egg in its ruminations struggle to succeed,
gleefully shouting in a high-pitched, insanity-laced voice, “goo!,” “Goo!,”
“Goo!” until, at last, with a final energetic and gleeful “GOO!” the egg
somehow smashes itself to reveal the “goo” in it’s center.
Cadbury is not alone in advertising the “chocolate side” of Easter.
Chocolatier, Ferrero Rocher takes its signature chocolate one step
further by suggesting that their round, nut-laden chocolates, created by
the gods for the gods are ultimately for the adult palate only.
But don’t despair, kids are not left out as a target audience. There are
plenty of chocolate eggs and rabbits, which can be seen in small,
medium, large and MASSIVE sizes, sitting and standing, long-eared and
flop-eared, adorning brightly colored Easter displays. And, if you look
carefully, you can also find chocolate bilbies covered in silver and
blue foil, in the midst of the eggs and rabbits. The chocolate Easter
bilby is produced specifically for the Australian market, since this is
the only place in the world that has a bilby population.
 So what is a bilby, you ask? Bilbies are part of the bandicoot family.
The name, bilby, comes from the Aboriginal Yuwaalaraay language and
means “long-nosed rat.” Like so many other Australian native creatures,
they are marsupials and raise their young in pouches like kangaroos and
koalas. They are quite small, have poor eyesight, are nocturnal, like
seeds and bugs and are endangered which is why there has been a campaign
to replace the rabbit with the bilby as the symbol of Easter in
Australia.
It is well known that rabbits, which aren’t native to Australia, have
caused massive destruction in the country to the extent that the
government has taken several official stances on the matter. One of the
most well known was the stringing of a rabbit-proof fence across parts
of the country. While changing the Australian Easter symbol from a
rabbit to a bilby is a topic that runs hot and cold, I do know that at
this time of year, the keen observer with a watchful eye can almost
always spot a chocolate bilby sitting quietly amongst the Easter eggs
and rabbits, even during the day...
In reading this, you might conclude that if you love chocolate,
especially at Easter time, Sydney is the place to be. But beware. As
with all things chocolate, there are some things to consider... and not
just those relating to how many sit-ups you will have to do if you eat
one or two or whether you prefer milk or dark, organic or non, with or
without rice puffs or peanuts or raspberries or caramel. The
consideration I am talking about has to do with the Fair Trade issues
associated with the picking of the cacao beans from which cocoa i.e.
chocolate is made.
As reported by Claire Harvey in the April 5, 2009 edition of the Sydney
Sunday Telegraph, when one buys chocolate from companies that do not
participate in Fair Trade, you could, inadvertently, be contributing to
“child labor and unfair trade practices that impoverish farmers in
Africa where 70% cocoa originates.” That little tidbit is a key point in
Australia because companies who make chocolate for the Australian
consumer are often the very companies who do not participate in fair
labor practices which is of great concern to many here.
But don’t fret. There is good news. According to Ms. Harvey, Cadbury has
opted to go entirely fair trade with its biggest seller and is “spending
$100 million over the next decade on sustainable farming in Ghana.” And,
Lindt Chocolate, who has been besieged with letters and email from
consumers, now requires all of their producers to sign a
“no-exploitation protocol.”
So go get that Easter egg, bunny or bilby and enjoy. Just remember...
quoting the Templar Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...
“Choose wisely.”
Bev Saidel
11 April 2009
Sydney Australia
Bev Saidel is a free-lance writer and photographer who can be reached
at: saico1@hotmail.com
Sydney Royal Easter Show
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