Re: [Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
Dear Roland, Thanks for the very interesting post on classic brands below. I Googled each of them and now am better informed. Look forward to more such nostagia/information posts by you. Cheers! Cecil Message: 2 Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2016 18:42:00 -0400 From: Roland To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!" Subject: Re: [Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter? Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 There were some iconic brands in the consumables category in Bombay during Nehru's socialist era. Not all of them were indigenous, but even despite foreign goods being banned, a very few because of their popularity, continued to be imported in limited quantities. Polson's butter, Waterbury's compound, Eno's Fruit Salts, Cadbury's chocolates, and Rose's Lime Juice Cordial (a great mix for gin) were a few of these popular brands. Some like Polson fell by the wayside to local competition, others set up Indian plants allowed to use the parent name and still others like Rose's Syrups managed to retain their import license due to a very select market. Butter in those days was a middle-class urban luxury. Most Christian homes had butter on the table for the obligatory toast and the butter in most cases was Polson. Amul, an Indian brand from a Gujarat cooperative had entered the market but had not made inroads. Amul was the superior butter but Polsons was the tastier. Amul poured in big money to advertise but Polson gave out their dinky coupons as part of the wrapper and every housewife collected them. Coupons would take a few pice, later paise off the next purchase and that had the lady of the house hooked with the new concept. It's funny how taste can override goodness in a consumable product. Tinned Kraft cheese for example is not real cheese, just a salty processed product, but even today diehards used to it will opt to buy it over the more natural and healthy cheddar slabs. Polson did not make cheese, it just made butter unlike its rival Amul whose cheese was an excellent product considering it was made by an Indian company in rural Gujarat. Ignorance, in this case due to non-availability, is generally bliss. It was not until my relatives from Africa came to Bombay on long leave and brought Kenya Creamery churned butter tins did we realize that Polsons was really a very poor cousin. In the end whether it was Amul's superior product or just their big budget advertising or political heft that did Polson in, we shall never know. Like an old soldier, Polsons after ruling Bombay's roost for decades, didn't die. It just faded away. Roland Francis Toronto.
[Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
In our good old golden years in the 60's and as a young person I was often taken by my parents to Café Central a proper coffee restaurant which was situated and where now stands the horrendous bharati era Filhos da mae building. Bun pao coated with Polson butter, was the order of the day. As the years went by our standard of living slowly degraded. It was goodbye Polson and Café Central and welcome 'be indian by indian. BC A consideration: Most Christian homes did not have butter on the table. Perhaps such was the case in certain enclaves. I know many people who did not, and nether did I don't quite agree with Eric that this was because of India's 'socialistic' approach. Rather, this was a country just emerging out of colonialism, with little or no industrial base (my dad had just finished a contract with helping Kaiser Engineer's build a steel plant in Jamshedpur and was taking on the offer to take up a job with the next at Cubatao, Sao Paulo state (later on to become one of the 10 most polluted places on the planet!) Besides, there was a lack of skills. Doctors who took their education in India and migrated Westwards were reminded, I recall, that their education had cost the taxpayer Rs100,000 -- a huge sum in those days. Famines were know (around 1967, if not mistaken). The US/Indian solution was the Green Revolution (anything to avoid Red!). In fits and starts, the US-India relationship was on the rocks, and post-colonial defiance at times wasn't making things easier. We could occasionally afford butter. Fresh milk was cheap, but there were queues (in Goa till the early 1980s), and one was lucky if you got a 250 ml plastic bag. I remember we occasionally ate Dalda (a kind of ghee) with sugar on our bread, as it was cheaper. Eggs were easier to come by, probably because these were locally produced. Our family brought back a fridge with us from Brazil, but till 1970 we didn't have an electricity connection at home! Those were those trying times. Nonetheless, I look back wistfully. The tough parts tend to get edited out of our memories. FN End of Goanet Digest, Vol 11, Issue 507 ***
Re: [Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
Of course, you're right on that Venantius. Event hough we romanticise the "good old days", the 1960s were tough times for many (almost all?) of us in India. I don't quite agree with Eric that this was because of India's 'socialistic' approach. Rather, this was a country just emerging out of colonialism, with little or no industrial base (my dad had just finished a contract with helping Kaiser Engineer's build a steel plant in Jamshedpur and was taking on the offer to take up a job with the next at Cubatao, Sao Paulo state (later on to become one of the 10 most polluted places on the planet!) Besides, there was a lack of skills. Doctors who took their education in India and migrated Westwards were reminded, I recall, that their education had cost the taxpayer Rs100,000 -- a huge sum in those days. Famines were know (around 1967, if not mistaken). The US/Indian solution was the Green Revolution (anything to avoid Red!). In fits and starts, the US-India relationship was on the rocks, and post-colonial defiance at times wasn't making things easier. We could occasionally afford butter. Fresh milk was cheap, but there were queues (in Goa till the early 1980s), and one was lucky if you got a 250 ml plastic bag. I remember we occasionally ate Dalda (a kind of ghee) with sugar on our bread, as it was cheaper. Eggs were easier to come by, probably because these were locally produced. Our family brought back a fridge with us from Brazil, but till 1970 we didn't have an electricity connection at home! Those were those trying times. Nonetheless, I look back wistfully. The tough parts tend to get edited out of our memories. FN On 28 September 2016 at 06:58, Venantius J Pinto wrote: > A consideration: > Most Christian homes did not have butter on the table. Perhaps such was the > case in certain enclaves. I know many people who did not, and nether did > we. And there were many other things we and they did not partake in. It was > not financially possible. We did not have a fridge, nor a record player and > so on and so forth. People come from different strata of society, and > accordingly lived lives. Always hoping. This is something I have attempted > to spell out many times. Also there is nothing homogeneous about Goans and > lived aesthetics, as also ethics. > -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ Frederick Noronha http://about.me/noronhafrederick http://goa1556.in _/ P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Fcbk:fredericknoronha _/ Hear Goa,1556 shared audio content at https://archive.org/details/goa1556 _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Re: [Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
A consideration: Most Christian homes did not have butter on the table. Perhaps such was the case in certain enclaves. I know many people who did not, and nether did we. And there were many other things we and they did not partake in. It was not financially possible. We did not have a fridge, nor a record player and so on and so forth. People come from different strata of society, and accordingly lived lives. Always hoping. This is something I have attempted to spell out many times. Also there is nothing homogeneous about Goans and lived aesthetics, as also ethics. —Venantius J Pinto On Tue, Sep 27, 2016 at 6:42 PM, Roland wrote: > There were some iconic brands in the consumables category in Bombay during > Nehru's socialist era. Not all of them were indigenous, but even despite > foreign goods being banned, a very few because of their popularity, > continued to be imported in limited quantities. > > Polson's butter, Waterbury's compound, Eno's Fruit Salts, Cadbury's > chocolates, and Rose's Lime Juice Cordial (a great mix for gin) were a few > of these popular brands. > > Some like Polson fell by the wayside to local competition, others set up > Indian plants allowed to use the parent name and still others like Rose's > Syrups managed to retain their import license due to a very select market. > > Butter in those days was a middle-class urban luxury. Most Christian homes > had butter on the table for the obligatory toast and the butter in most > cases was Polson. Amul, an Indian brand from a Gujarat cooperative had > entered the market but had not made inroads. Amul was the superior butter > but Polsons was the tastier. Amul poured in big money to advertise but > Polson gave out their dinky coupons as part of the wrapper and every > housewife collected them. Coupons would take a few pice, later paise off > the next purchase and that had the lady of the house hooked with the new > concept. > > It's funny how taste can override goodness in a consumable product. Tinned > Kraft cheese for example is not real cheese, just a salty processed > product, but even today diehards used to it will opt to buy it over the > more natural and healthy cheddar slabs. > > Polson did not make cheese, it just made butter unlike its rival Amul > whose cheese was an excellent product considering it was made by an Indian > company in rural Gujarat. > > Ignorance, in this case due to non-availability, is generally bliss. It > was not until my relatives from Africa came to Bombay on long leave and > brought Kenya Creamery churned butter tins did we realize that Polsons was > really a very poor cousin. > > In the end whether it was Amul's superior product or just their big budget > advertising or political heft that did Polson in, we shall never know. Like > an old soldier, Polsons after ruling Bombay's roost for decades, didn't > die. It just faded away. > > Roland Francis > Toronto. > > > On Sep 27, 2016, at 4:51 PM, Frederick FN Noronha * फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या * > فريدريك نورونيا wrote: > > > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson_(brand) > > -- > > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > > _/ > > _/ Frederick Noronha | http://about.me/noronhafrederick | > http://goa1556.in > > _/ P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Facebook: > fredericknoronha > > _/ Goa,1556 CC shared audio content https://archive.org/details/goa1556 > > _/ > > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ >
Re: [Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
There were some iconic brands in the consumables category in Bombay during Nehru's socialist era. Not all of them were indigenous, but even despite foreign goods being banned, a very few because of their popularity, continued to be imported in limited quantities. Polson's butter, Waterbury's compound, Eno's Fruit Salts, Cadbury's chocolates, and Rose's Lime Juice Cordial (a great mix for gin) were a few of these popular brands. Some like Polson fell by the wayside to local competition, others set up Indian plants allowed to use the parent name and still others like Rose's Syrups managed to retain their import license due to a very select market. Butter in those days was a middle-class urban luxury. Most Christian homes had butter on the table for the obligatory toast and the butter in most cases was Polson. Amul, an Indian brand from a Gujarat cooperative had entered the market but had not made inroads. Amul was the superior butter but Polsons was the tastier. Amul poured in big money to advertise but Polson gave out their dinky coupons as part of the wrapper and every housewife collected them. Coupons would take a few pice, later paise off the next purchase and that had the lady of the house hooked with the new concept. It's funny how taste can override goodness in a consumable product. Tinned Kraft cheese for example is not real cheese, just a salty processed product, but even today diehards used to it will opt to buy it over the more natural and healthy cheddar slabs. Polson did not make cheese, it just made butter unlike its rival Amul whose cheese was an excellent product considering it was made by an Indian company in rural Gujarat. Ignorance, in this case due to non-availability, is generally bliss. It was not until my relatives from Africa came to Bombay on long leave and brought Kenya Creamery churned butter tins did we realize that Polsons was really a very poor cousin. In the end whether it was Amul's superior product or just their big budget advertising or political heft that did Polson in, we shall never know. Like an old soldier, Polsons after ruling Bombay's roost for decades, didn't die. It just faded away. Roland Francis Toronto. > On Sep 27, 2016, at 4:51 PM, Frederick FN Noronha * फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या * > فريدريك نورونيا wrote: > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson_(brand) > -- > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > _/ > _/ Frederick Noronha | http://about.me/noronhafrederick | http://goa1556.in > _/ P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Facebook: fredericknoronha > _/ Goa,1556 CC shared audio content https://archive.org/details/goa1556 > _/ > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
[Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
They were Parsees. They were forced out of business to protect the co-operatives. It was ruled that dairies were not eligible to sell casein. That primary milk/protein derivative was the 'bread and butter' of the trade, not fat/butter. Viva socialism ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson_(brand) --
[Goanet] DoYouRemember: Polson butter?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson_(brand) -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ Frederick Noronha | http://about.me/noronhafrederick | http://goa1556.in _/ P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Facebook: fredericknoronha _/ Goa,1556 CC shared audio content https://archive.org/details/goa1556 _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/