Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Breakfast discussed

On a bit of a whim while in the supermarket some weeks ago, I decided to vary my breakfasts (usually cereal based) by buying this:

Not too bad.  Throw in some sultanas before you microwave it, and quite nice.  I always had the vague idea that Uncle Tobys was an Australian brand, too. 

But last week, I tried this instead:



and I have to say, it makes a nicer oat porridge.   But I feel slightly guilty for going with a brand which has an odd American character as its symbol.  (Even though this is made in Australia with Australian oats.)

But the real puzzle is:  why do oat brands insist on 19th (or 18th?) century characters as being appropriate for their product?   The original of the Quaker man is explained in Wikipedia:
The company has no formal ties with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). When the company was being built up, Quaker businesspeople were known for their honesty (Truth is often considered a Quaker testimony). The Straight Dope writes "According to the good folks at Quaker Oats, the Quaker Man was America's first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal, his registration taking place on September 4th, 1877. "The name was chosen when Quaker Mill partner Henry Seymour found an encyclopedia article on Quakers and decided that the qualities described — integrity, honesty, purity — provided an appropriate identity for his company's oat product."[19] In the 1800s, when the company was formed, Quakers did wear clothes similar to those shown in the picture. This was because of the Quakers' Testimony of Simplicity — they did not want to show off their wealth with expensive clothing. Most Quakers currently do not tend to dress in that manner — they might instead avoid clothing with brand names advertised.
Well, yes, but new consumers today are not likely to know much about the reputation of 19th  century Quakers, are they?

As for Uncle Toby's, the explanation is even more obscure:
 The UNCLE TOBYS logo was designed by Nellie Love who was a keen artist and a student of literature. It is based on the character Uncle Toby who is prominent in the literary classic ‘The Life And Times of Tristram Shandy’ by Laurence Sterne, first published in 1759. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest comic novels in the English language. The most familiar and important character in the book is Uncle Toby, gentle, uncomplicated lover of his fellow man. In 1893 the name was accepted and Nellie Love proceeded to design the original logo of Uncle Toby standing with the Widow Wadman, a design which to this day has hardly changed.
 Well, I'm sick of this.  It's about time an oat brand using a robot came out.  Bender from Futurama, maybe?  

5 comments:

anon said...

Worrying about the husband's breakfast tomorrow morning before she heads off to work, Stevie?

TimT said...

Why would you ever buy branded porridge? One part oats, two parts liquid (I usually divide that into half milk/half water), chuck it on the stove for five minutes. Cheap and delicious.

Steve said...

Well, Tim, the Quaker oats are cut up into smaller pieces, and somehow, it makes a distinctly creamier sort of porridge than the rougher Uncle Tobys. I am assuming your non branded oats are more like UT than Quaker...

Anonymous said...

A minor point - the book is titled
'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman' not 'Times'. A detail but an important one

TimT said...

I like chewy porridge! Big oats all the way!