It appears that vegemite got its start when supplies of marmite were disrupted after World War I, digging its way into the Australian psyche. Marmite was on sale when I was a child, but I saw it as a very inferior product.
While I knew that vegemite was a solution to almost everything, I had no idea that it might be used to make alcohol, it is a yeast based product, until Commonwealth Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion suggested that its availability might need to be restricted in Aboriginal communities to stop it being turned into sly grog. Sadly, it appears that vegemite is not well suited for this purpose. That doesn't surprise me in fact, even though vegemite is a miracle food!
Now for the benefit of my international readers who might like to try this miracle food, exercise care! It's not that you will suddenly turn into kangaroo or a goanna. That could happen I suppose, but it's unlikely. Rather, vegemite has a very strong taste. So don't, as many novices do, just ladle it out. You will hate it!
Even with a thin spread, many don't like it. Australians take a strange pride in that. Collectively, we form a campaign to stop others acquiring a liking for this spread. Just spread it thickly, we say with a malicious smile, waiting for the look of horror to appear at the first bite. "How can you eat this stuff!" is the response. We just beam.
10 comments:
A teaspoon of Vegemite dissolved in boiling water; best pickmeup if battling a cold. Inhale the steam while sipping.
kvd
That does help, kvd. Bit on this particular one I prefer Bonox.
I could take it as a medicine, I suppose, but my relationship with Vegemite in addition to my accent shows that I am a new Aussie and not fully converted.
MyO, anybody who can spell Aussie without an O or a z is fully conscripted - which seems somehow appropriate :)
kvd
I suddenly sound like a condiment. Thank you for my new Aussie passport, kvd.
My Shangainese friend and former flatmate M took to Vegemite easily, regarding it as rather like solidified soy sauce.
A male Australian person I know claims to have induced a young European lady to try Vegemite by claiming that it was Australian chocolate. She was not impressed.
Well MyO, always safety first is my motto, hence I always recommend use of a condiment - or two, depending upon your appetite.
kvd
First introduced to the market in a blaze of inferiority-complex-meets-groaner-pun. The product was called Parwill, with the marketing motto "Ma might, but Pa Will!" The original firm went broke pretty quickly. Not sure how the all-Australian spread ended up in Kraft Foods' hands, but there we have it. I like a thin smear on top on a heart attack inducing spread of (salted) butter on really, really fresh bread. My wife's late uncle on the other hand spread it as thickly as possible.
I'm trying to remember the history, 2t. Will check.
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