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Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

bbc.com

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Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#21

Post by OJFord »

rayiner wrote: post #8

We used to drink Horlicks in Bangladesh, where it was - like in India - a breakfast drink. Of course, Horlicks has no special powers to do anything, certainly not any of the things it is marketed as doing. It's a potent example of the insidiousness of marketing: pretty much everywhere in the U.K. and the former British Empire people associate this product with qualities it simply does not possess. Not only that, they…

> they are drinking a high-calorie product because it is marketed as being good for you

Are they, and is it?

I tried it once and didn't like it, but I've always bucketed it with hot chocolate. I've certainly never had or heard it associated with improving health.

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#22

Post by tcopeland »

smacktoward wrote: post #13
hprotagonist wrote: post #3

Not the same drink at all, but : As a child i read the James Herriot memoirs (all things bright and beautiful, etc..), in which he waxes rhapsodic about the restorative powers and deliciousness of Bovril. I had no idea what it was, so I was free to invent my own idea of what it might taste like, or be, or consist of. When i discovered he was so happy about diluted beef stock, i was more than a little let down.

Not even a drink, but: reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child led me down a similar path with regard to Turkish Delight.

When my wife's parents come visit us from Moldova they usually bring over a box of Turkish Delight; it's always unveiled with cries of "Turkish Delight for the young prince! Ha ha ha!"

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#23

Post by JauntTrooper »

sealjam wrote: post #20

There is an extremely similar drink in the UK (and probably elsewhere) called Ovaltine which is marketed as an energy drink. I always thought it was odd that two such similar drinks were marketed in such contrary ways. Horlicks to make your sleep and Ovaltine to give you energy. Perhaps that was the point at which I realised marketeers weren't always scientific in their advice :(

Interesting, Ovaltine is marketed as an energy drink in the U.K.?

Growing up in the US in the 1990s it was marketed as chocolate milk with vitamins (so therefore good for your kids).

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#24

Post by OJFord »

smcl wrote: post #16
smacktoward wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not even a drink, but: reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child led me down a similar path with regard to Turkish Delight.

That's such a common one! It's even worse that there's a chocolate bar in the UK called "Turkish Delight" which is nothing like the proper "Lokum". It's not very pleasant :)

Turkish delight (not Cadbury's chocolate bar) is delicious.

The chocolate bar is just crap mass-produced Turkish delight wrapped in chocolate. I agree it's not very pleasant, but I don't know what else one could expect.

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#27

Post by arethuza »

gideonparanoid wrote: post #7

In the UK, from my experience, the drink is usually associated with more elderly people (my grandparents & older uncle are the only people who drink it), interesting to see it here aimed more for children.

I was definitely fed it by my parents when I was a kid in the 1970s - pretty sure the marketing targeted kids (or more likely targeted parents to feed it to their kids).

Ovaltine used to have a radio kids club - though that was before my time...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovaltineys

"At games and sports we're more than keen, Mo merrier children could be seen, Because we all drink Ovaltine,"

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#28

Post by draw_down »

torrent-of-ions wrote: post #26

It is pretty odd that a drink of concentrated simple carbohydrates/sugar would be taken before going to bed.

In my experience ingesting calories before bed is never a wise idea, but especially so if milk is involved.

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#29

Post by sealjam »

JauntTrooper wrote: post #23
sealjam wrote: post #20

There is an extremely similar drink in the UK (and probably elsewhere) called Ovaltine which is marketed as an energy drink. I always thought it was odd that two such similar drinks were marketed in such contrary ways. Horlicks to make your sleep and Ovaltine to give you energy. Perhaps that was the point at which I realised marketeers weren't always scientific in their advice :(

Interesting, Ovaltine is marketed as an energy drink in the U.K.? Growing up in the US in the 1990s it was marketed as chocolate milk with vitamins (so therefore good for your kids).

Had to double check but seems so!

(link to image of ovaltine jar) https://www.catchthedeal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2...

Re: Horlicks, a drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with

#30

Post by doingmyting »

OJFord wrote: post #21
rayiner wrote: post #8

We used to drink Horlicks in Bangladesh, where it was - like in India - a breakfast drink. Of course, Horlicks has no special powers to do anything, certainly not any of the things it is marketed as doing. It's a potent example of the insidiousness of marketing: pretty much everywhere in the U.K. and the former British Empire people associate this product with qualities it simply does not possess. Not only that, they…

> they are drinking a high-calorie product because it is marketed as being good for you Are they, and is it? I tried it once and didn't like it, but I've always bucketed it with hot chocolate. I've certainly never had or heard it associated with improving health.

The slogan of Horlicks is "Taller, stronger, sharper". Grew up in the Caribbean and every mom swore by it so we drank it.
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