On Vegemite

Vegemite was first invented in 1922 by a bloke named Cyril P Callister, a doctor working for an Aussie cheese company. It's made of some sort of yeast extract. Vegemite is dark greenish brown and a bit more plastic in texture than peanut butter or Nutella. If you're interested in vegemite, here's a link to the Vegemite timeline: Vegemite Timeline

I tried a bit of Vegemite last week. I was volunteering at the elementary school "tuck shop" with my host mum (she volunteers there every Friday), and she handed me an order for a Vegemite sandwich. So, assuming that Vegemite was much like peanut butter in general usage, I began to spread a thick layer on a piece of bread. No one who hasn't eaten Vegemite can possibly comprehend how terrible a mistake this is. Apparently you're only supposed to spread a few scrapings on top of the bread, just enough for a taste. Vegemite sort of tastes like extra-concentrated, spoiled miso (if you just ate it plain, instead of making it into soup) with a hint of beer. It's not the worst thing I've ever eaten, and I like it better than, say, bananas... but it was pretty horrible.