Kevin's Watch

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegamite

There's a whole lot of Australians here, and they all know all about this stuff. I don't know who else does, but Christy and I just heard about it for the first time when we were watching the video for Men At Work's Land Down Under, and found out the words are:
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich

Would any Aussies like to give us your feelings for the stuff? Or some info? It would appear to be a defining aspect of Australia, yet I've known about it for less than 24 hours.

It's a variation on something we have, called marmite. I'd heard of vegemite but never tasted it until I had some of Sea's at Cag's house last summer. It's less sticky and less salty than marmite, but an adequate substitute in a pinch.

I like to eat marmite on toast.

Vegemite is kind of salty and yeasty. Looks like tar. Not bad tasting. You don't spread it like peanut butter and lather it on, but real thin on toast.

Damelon wrote:You don't spread it like peanut butter and lather it on, but real thin on toast.

You might not, but many New Zealanders eat Marmite and Vegemite (and Promite) this way. Lots of butter and lots of Marmite, on very hot toast so that they might melt into one another.

I wasn't around in 1954, but I do remember this jingle...

A staple when I was growing up (and still..)

We're happy little Vegemites
As bright as bright can be.
We all enjoy our Vegemite
For breakfast, lunch and tea.
Our Mummies say we're growing stronger
Every single week
Because we love our Vegemite.
We all adore our Vegemite.
IT PUTS A ROSE IN EVERY CHEEK!
We're growing stronger every week!

Vegemite....yummmmmmmm! Best source of vitamin b you can get in a spread (not that us Aussies care much about that!).

VS is right: lots of butter and then a thin spread of vegemite (more butter than vegemite). I think that's the common mistake people make: spread it like peanut butter and you're just going to wanna puke!

Best way to have it (my my opinion) is on toast with processed cheese (but it's got to be, as I call it, plastic cheese...none of the good stuff). My mum used to give it to us as a drink on a cold day (hot water with a teaspoon of the stuff...kinda like having an oxo cube in hot water...nice broth, not that I've done that in years).

I don't like marmite because it's too salty. We do have that here, as well as promite.

But, yeah, the jingle that StevieG mentions is still used today in advertisements (not that they advertise much--they don't need to).

Vegemite is as aussie as it gets.

It is very nice, but I prefer promite.

Cheese and marmite sandwiches are staple in my diet

I tired a taste a long, long time ago. It was gross.

And I've eaten termites, porcupines, and algae.

My apologies to the Kiwis and Aussies on the site, but I guess you had to grow up eating the stuff.

As Damelon said the trick is to spread it thin. Hot buttered toast and vegemite is delicious with hot coffee.

My mum did the vegemite broth thing when we were kids too.

Grilled cheese and vegemite on toast is good... vegemite, cream cheese and celery... i could go on and on

Yeah, we heard the jingle on youtube. Also, some woman on another video speaks about vegamite for several minutes, so we heard about the importance of putting lots of butter on first.

Well, I have no idea where to find it, but I guess I'll have to.

Fist and Faith wrote:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegamite

There's a whole lot of Australians here, and they all know all about this stuff. I don't know who else does, but Christy and I just heard about it for the first time when we were watching the video for Men At Work's Land Down Under, and found out the words are:
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegamite sandwich

Would any Aussies like to give us your feelings for the stuff? Or some info? It would appear to be a defining aspect of Australia, yet I've known about it for less than 24 hours.

Damn Fist, where have you been? That Men at Work song is at least 25 years old!

dlbpharmd wrote:

Fist and Faith wrote:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegamite

There's a whole lot of Australians here, and they all know all about this stuff. I don't know who else does, but Christy and I just heard about it for the first time when we were watching the video for Men At Work's Land Down Under, and found out the words are:
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegamite sandwich

Would any Aussies like to give us your feelings for the stuff? Or some info? It would appear to be a defining aspect of Australia, yet I've known about it for less than 24 hours.

Damn Fist, where have you been? That Men at Work song is at least 25 years old!

I was thinking that too. Rip Van Fist!

I hate to be pedantic, but it's spelled 'vegemite'.

Loremaster wrote:I hate to be pedantic, but it's spelled 'vegemite'.

Grammer Police! Grammer Police!! Put him in the Comfy Chair!!!!


I don't remember that jingle and I was born in 54..

Spread thinly? Thinly? Pah! Pile the stuff on. You need to be able to taste it! If it doesn't clog the oesophagus, there's too little.

A poor imitation of marmite. Or marmite is a superior imitation. Don't know which came first. I weep if I run out of marmite unexpectedly.

--A

Avatar wrote:A poor imitation of marmite. Or marmite is a superior imitation. Don't know which came first. I weep if I run out of marmite unexpectedly.

--A

According to the paragon of accuracy that is Wikipedia, marmite predates vegemite by twenty years. Also, the marmite they have in New Zealand and Australia doesn't taste the same as the marmite we have in the UK and South Africa.

Damelon wrote:

dlbpharmd wrote:Damn Fist, where have you been? That Men at Work song is at least 25 years old!

I was thinking that too. Rip Van Fist!

Heh. I don't know all the words to more than a dozen songs. Maybe. It's always fun to find out what something I've known for at least 25 years is saying. In this case, I thought the line was:
He just smiled and gave me a bite of my sandwich.
No, I didn't know what the hell that was supposed to mean, but I didn't care. It was still a catchy tune.

Loremaster wrote:I hate to be pedantic, but it's spelled 'vegemite'.

Thank you. I'm usually pedantic, too, but I wasn't paying any attention this time. Corrected.

Loremaster wrote:I hate to be pedantic, but it's spelled 'vegemite'.

That's Loremaster for you, the damn pedant.