Australia: the cuisine, the history, the music, the workshop!

[virtualworldofhp]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Tabouli" <tabouli at u...> wrote: 
> Megan:
> > As an American I can say, "EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!  THIS STUFF IS SO
> GROSS!"  It really is.  I don't see how anyone can stomach the stuff
(Vegemite).
> >
> >But Nutella is to die for. :-D *which reminds her she has some in the
> cabinet to eat for snacking*<
> 
> (Tabouli sighs sadly at the unsophisticated American palate).  Now
this juxtaposition of Vegemite and Nutella support a long-held theory
of mine, which is that the apparent American horror at Vegemite comes
of misconstruing how it is meant to be eaten.  Vegemite is not
supposed to be eaten like Nutella!  Unless you're a true diehard fan
weaned on the stuff or a serious salt addict, you don't eat it in
spoonfuls out of the jar, or spread it half an inch thick on bread the
way you can use a sweet spread.  It's not really a spread, it's a
flavouring, to be used *sparingly*, as it is extremely salty.  I eat
Vegemite on Salada biscuits (large, square dry crackers divided into
quarters).  First of all, you spread the biscuit with a generous layer
of butter (not margarine if you can avoid it - it wrecks the flavour),
and then you dab a little blob of Vegemite on each quarter and blend
it into the butter with the knife.  I repeat, much more butter than
Vegemite!  If people are tasting it in spoonfuls from the jar like
Nutella, no *wonder* they think it tastes awful!

I don't know about others (do I feel like I have to defend American
tastes now?), but when I tasted Vegemite it *WAS* the authentic
Australian way (very tiny amount, mixed with butter on toast), or
whatever you want to call it.  I just like insulting your national
food-spread, Tabouli, <vbg>.  I suppose items like that are an
acquired taste.  I wonder what could be a good equivilant in America
(or even regions of America)?  Guacamole?  Picante?  Egg nog?  For
some reason, I recall my experience with Vegemite tasting like cavier.
 It was several years ago...;-)  And why (as I was thinking of
American foods) do I think sloppy joes sounds Australian?  (I also
can't remember...isn't Nutella originally European, but also very big
down in Australia--just not as big as up here in the US?  I get my
foods mixed up too easily...)

-Megan (feeling a bit brain-fried this morning; also thinking that
Nutella and peanut-butter sandwiches are absolutely delicious...though
serious diet-breakers, <bg>)