Hokey Pokey Means Dance In The US And Chocolate In NZ
Forget what you know about Hokey Pokey. For most of us here in the United States, we grew up putting our left foot in, taking it out, and then shaking it all about. I think we've all done the "Hokey Pokey" a few times. The popular dance song dates all the way back to World War II and has spent the decades since inspiring kids in elementary schools to "do the Hokey Pokey and turn yourself around."
Well, in New Zealand, "hokey pokey" means something entirely different. I discovered this a couple of years ago thanks to my friends Pete and Chrissie, who live in Christchurch, New Zealand, but have a vacation home in Falls of Rough, Kentucky.
They are pictured here with my friend David and me. Pete and Chrissie are the two enthusiastic Kiwis in the middle and we just got the chance to visit them in their homeland.
The Jamiesons introduced me to what I consider to be the absolute best chocolate in the world!
And, yes! I will concede this. Here in the U.S., the words "best" and "chocolate" typically stir memories of World's Finest Chocolate. I am not sure there's a kid in this country that hasn't sold those bars to raise money for something.
That chocolate is fine indeed. But, I personally think the 'finest' chocolate in the world comes from Whittaker's in New Zealand. The confectionery has been churning out the goods since 1896. The company was founded in Christchurch, where Pete and Chrissie live.
Their chocolate is legendary, adventurous, and delicious!
Thanks to Pete and Chrissie, my friend Mary-Katherine and I have developed quite an insatiable addiction to Hokey Pokey Crunch, which contains bits of honeycomb toffee.
And, look! Hokey Pokey Crunch has a bunch of competition. Whittaker's makes a ton of varieties of chocolate. For proof, here's a pic of the haul I just brought back from my trip to New Zealand.
That pic doesn't show the already half-eaten package of Hazelnut Block I tore through on the way home or the block of Hokey Pokey Crunch that I am guarding with my life. I brought two blocks of that home- one for me and one for Mary-Katherine. Like Pete and Chrissie, I have now become one of MKat's Hokey Pokey dealers.
And here's another fun fact. My friend Jennifer Vogel, whose in-laws live in Napier (about 450 miles from Christchurch), tipped me off to the fact that you can also find Hokey Pokey Ice Cream in New Zealand. So, while I was visiting, Pete and Chrissie snagged us some of that too.
So, I guess the song- which historically has absolutely nothing to do with Whittaker's or that ridiculously good ice cream- was right. If you do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That IS what it's all about.