During my trip to London last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Donna, who works with Hutch and Aruna in Turner's legal department. Donna is Australian. This fact prompted me to share with her a slightly humorous, slightly embarrassing story about Vegemite, Australia's favorite snack food, famously memorialized in the Men at Work hit "Land Down Under." (See here.) When Hutch returned to Atlanta, he brought me a jar of Vegemite, courtesy of Donna. (See here.) Having never tasted Vegemite, I vowed that I would sample it and report on my findings.
For those unfamiliar with Vegemite, it has a deep brown color and a smooth, spreadable texture, not too far from creamy peanut butter. I debated whether to eat the Vegemite "straight," or, instead, use it as a condiment. After considering some suggestions from Donna (including the enticing combo of Vegemite with bananas and toast), I opted to enjoy my first Vegemite bite on a simple cracker:
Having set my course, I plunged the knife straight into the creamy center of the Vegemite jar, leading me to believe that I was primed for a delicious, chocolatey treat:
After spreading a bit of the Vegemite onto a cracker, I was ready to enjoy the deliciousness. However, my friend Seymour the Speak-No-Evil Monkey, was skeptical:
Undaunted, I poised myself for the taste explosion:
Finally, the first bite. The flavor was deeply earthy, pungently savory, altogether overwhelming to my delicate senses. I entered another dimension, lost in Vegemite bliss:
Curiously, ever since this fateful night, I have acquired an array of strange super-powers. For instance, I can play the guitar solo from "Back in Black" note for note. And, I now have dance moves like that crazy frontman from Midnight Oil. Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy any more of the Vegemite, because my friend Reginald the Terra-Cotta Ram got into the jar and ate the remainder of my supply:
He has now eloped with a ceramic kangaroo. But, I am left with a lingering aftertaste and fond memories of my first taste of Vegemite.
7 comments:
wow - this is very surreal James... an interesting new take on LACE blogging!
OMG ... I'm in stitches!!! First up, may I congratulate you for taking the almighty vegemite challenge so seriously!
Secondly ... WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING when you put 1/4 of a jar onto a GARLIC cracker? Even the most seasoned vegemite eater will only put on a light spread! Perhaps I didn't warn you enough about the potency of vegemite ... sincerest apologies if this is the case!!!
As for the garlic ... I don't think even I (a seasoned vegemite eater) would enjoy vegemite and garlic :)
The best thing about all of this is that you’ve gained some super-powers … that’s incredible!!! What I’d give to be able to dance like Peter Garrett!!!
It’s such a shame Reginald ate the remainder of your supply … I’ll have to send some more over for you to share with all of your friends, who must be seriously interested in giving this a try … if for no other reason than to gain some super-powers!
Hutch: Yes, I would say that the large dose of Vegemite transported me to an altered state of heightened imagination. Perhaps Vegemite will become the muse of a new generation of artists, much as Absinthe inspired the Impressionists in the late 19th Century!
VegQueen: While I would be hesitant to recommend the Vegemite-Garlic combo, it certainly created a taste sensation I will never forget! Perhaps before trying Vegemite a second time, I will consult your list of recipes.
From the animal welfare perspective: I am not sure if vegemite is suitable for terracotta rams. Rather than eloping with an animal companion I suppose that the poor little fellow has been sick for days.. I can see at least a negligence case coming up here...
As the second-to-last photo illustrates, Reginald clearly was making his move for the jar while I was still in a Vegemite-induced trance. I suspect that he knew exactly what he was doing!
This is awesome.
This is awesome.
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