I don’t often focus on what is happening back in New Zealand, but this week I was made aware of a serious situation back ‘home’. One that I think important to tackle.
You see this week in New Zealand 300 boxes of Weetabix from the UK (not to be confused with Weet-Bix which is the New Zealand product) was taken hostage. It’s about as serious as it gets in New Zealand. People are not happy. You can read all about it on The Daily Mail.
So as a Kiwi currently living in a land without Weet-Bix I’d like to offer my thoughts to Sanitarium. I want to help. Here’s my open letter to them:
5 July 2017
Dear Sanitarium Cereals New Zealand
Re: The hostage situation
I heard you may need my help.
As a Kiwi kid brought up on Weet-Bix you probably know me already. You used to give me little cards. You hid them in the box. Do you remember? They were awesome. I had to be quick though because my brother also wanted them. He didn’t understand that you put them in the box for ME.
Anyway, without wanting to be overly dramatic, Weet-Bix is most likely responsible for my triathlon prowess. So I’m on your team. I get this whole hostage situation.
You see I’m currently living in a land without Weet-Bix. I live in Denmark. A land of many pastries (woo hoo!) but no Weet-Bix. As a result integration and survival in my new land has been hard. It’s not that I don’t want to try the local food, its just more a case that sometimes it’s just nice to have something from home. Something familiar. Something that gives you the warm fuzzies and takes you back to a happy place where you used to find hidden cards in your cereal box.
But finding familiar cereal in Denmark is just the tip of the iceberg really. Supermarket shopping here has been a real doozy to get used to. I even wrote a survival guide for supermarket shopping in Denmark. You can check it out if you like (but after you’ve finished reading this okay?).
Anyhow…..myself and the fellow Kiwis currently living in Denmark are here to help. We've put our heads together and we have a solution.
We dearly miss our Weet-Bix on this side of the world and struggle through each morning having to eat the only other substitute available. You may want to cover your ears when I tell you what we're eating, because it's Weetabix. Yes the ‘other’ one in our relationship.
And even though I curse every morning opening up their packaging (what were they thinking!!! Crumbs everywhere. You’ve got no idea the mess it makes every morning) I am still extremely grateful for what I’ve been able to find in my new land. Something almost as good and pretty close to what I’m used to, Weet-Bix.
But even with Weetabix I have to be quick to make sure I get some. If I’m lucky and time it right I can find it in the occasional supermarket. But it sells out fast. There’s never enough boxes on the shelf to keep the Kiwis and Aussies happy because we're all chasing the same thing. Of course if anyone asks we're all mates (as often happens when you're on the other side of the world) but well...when it comes down to the last packet on the shelf, it can get a bit ugly if I'm honest. Relationships are tested.
So as you see it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, sometimes you just want a little something from home. In this case the Brits want Weetabix as an occasional treat in New Zealand and I’d like Weet-Bix in Denmark. As a good friend in Vietnam once said to me (they might have also said it to you?) – same same but different.
Therefore I suggest you please send 300 boxes of Weet-Bix to Denmark. Myself and my fellow Kiwis will pay good money which should equate for the 300 boxes of Weetabix currently being held hostage in New Zealand.
I reckon I could probably also sell a lot more here too if you like? But we probably shouldn’t let Weetabix know about that just yet. Either way, can we do something to move with the times and act a bit more global?
Yours faithfully
Keri
Weet-Bix kid #3,274,007
Average daily consumption: 1.5 Weet-Bix/2.0 Weetabix
Prefered topping: Peaches & Yoghurt
p.s I'm serious. They’ll be sold in minutes here. Can you send us some?
#freetheweetabix #weetbix #weetabix