No Aussie-abroad-blog would be complete without mentioning Vegemite at some point.
My favourite thing about opening a brand new jar of this concentrated yeast extract?
That irresistible sheen of glossy black goodness on top.
A slick gloss that has yet to be tempered by knife scrapings and remnants of toast crumbs, jam, marmalade, or peanut butter.
Nothing but promises of pure Vegemite. Mmm...
Ah yes. Pure vegemite. The moment is fleeting. Particularly in this household where one sicko mixes every manner of condiment on the one slice of toast. Jam and vegemite?
ReplyDeleteWHAT. THE. FUCK?
Ah the Black Doctor. He is always welcome round these parts. God help us if we run out. There'd be a riot.
ReplyDeleteDo you miss Baker's Delight Cheesymite Scrolls? I'd send you some over but they might be a bit stiff by the time you got them.
Jam and Vegemite? Yes indeed, wtf?
ReplyDeleteJ doesn't put things like that together on his toast, but say he's having two slices of toast. One will be jam or honey or whatever, and the other will be Vegemite. He doesn't care that he's adding scrapings of the first condiment into the jar of Vegemite. Me? I'll have two slices of the same, or change knives. I hate other stuff mixed in.
And Cheesymite Scrolls? How could I have forgotten about those so quickly? Shame on me. They saved my sanity while shopping with the Faery, on many occasions. Nothing like a Cheesymite Scroll to keep your kid quiet.
And if she couldn't finish the whole thing? Even better - I could eat it!
I'm SO curious about this! Of course, my first introduction to it's existence was the Men at Work song. Is it readily available in the US? I bet you can't find it in Canada.
ReplyDeleteMissy! If you ever get your hands on a jar, whatever you do, DON'T put it on thickly like peanut butter! That's the mistake that moat non-Aussies make, then they end up hating it. The key is lots of butter, and just a thin scraping of Vegemite. That, on toast? A real comfort food.
ReplyDeleteWhen I taught English to foreign students in Australia, a lot of my Korean and Japanese students weren't that freaked out when they tried it. They likened the flavour to soy sauce, which I guess is true.
So far, I've been able to get it at a nearby World Market store - but for a small fortune. A small jar (220g) for $8. Luckily, it lasts a long time... we can't live without it! At the moment, I am the proud owner of a newly-opened 600g jar that my mother brought over when she visited. That will last us at least 6 months!
Wow, that's a long time! Thanks for the tip, I feel so confident that I now know the accurate Vegemite to butter ratio.
ReplyDeleteBlergh - i feel very un-Australian in expressing my absolute disgust at Vegemite. It's so gross. The only time i enjoy/crave it is when i'm pregnant. Weird.
ReplyDeleteBut i am very glad you have a little piece of Australia over in L.A with you :)
I crave it less now that I'm not as much of a breastfeeding machine. When P was younger, I couldn't go to bed (after her dreamfeed) without having a couple of slices of Vegemite toast, so I packed quite a few jars in my luggage when we moved here. HAD to have it every night! Felt wrong otherwise.
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