Monday, November 12, 2012

Vegemite v Israel

geoffff

Aussie blogger Chris Richardson  [The Aussie Nomad] was in Israel last year for a visit to Technion organised by StandWithUs.  Daphne Anson has the encouraging story of the trip and the video here.

Delighted to hear that Chris took the opportunity to introduce Vegemite to the Middle East. I have long been an advocate of the one Vegemite solution.

Raise the kids on Vegemite and the whole world will live in peace.  Mind you kae recently had some distressing news.




Post image for Vegemite VS Israel

Sloppy and runny? Yuk. Have you had the stuff tested for anthrax?

Back to the Aussie Nomad ...

When on my trip to Israel last year I took my faithful jar of Vegemite along for the ride. I wanted to see what the middle east would think of it after having shared it with friends all over Europe and the US already. With mixed results from previous attempts I was hopeful my new friends in Israel would take to this aussie favourite…

13 comments:

  1. Aghghghg!!!

    When Laurie and I were still living in San Francisco we used to go to a little nearby grocery that carried strange English food with unusual names... at least to my American ear.

    One of the foods they offered was VEGEMITE.

    I remember standing in the checkout line holding a jar of this stuff and wondering why anyone would want to eat yeast extract?

    How could the Brits be so close to France and, yet, so entirely clueless when it comes to decent cuisine?!

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  2. Yahhhhhh Mike!. You just committed the gravest of cultural insensitivities ...

    Vegemite is not English. It is Australian --- born and bred. Along with the Pizza Hawaiian (a ham and/or bacon pizza with canned pineapple pieces tossed over the top) it is probably our most famous and enduring contribution to international cuisine.

    You're right about the Brits though. George Orwell once commented that the British spent four years dug into the French countryside without even developing a taste for wine.

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    1. Oh, so it's you guys who are responsible for Vegemite and Hawaiian pizza?

      Well, let me tell you something, mister, on one of my very first dates with Laurie we hit a little pizza joint in the SF Sunset district and Laurie was like, "Oh, I like Hawaiian pizza."

      And then I lied my ass off!

      "Oh, yes, I like Hawaiian pizza, tooooo."

      :O)

      And now I'm stuck with it!

      In truth, tho, we compromise.

      Pepperoni and pineapple.

      {Oh, dear lord, forgive me.}

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    2. btw, I feel kinda bad about Stuart.

      I basically booted him off the blog.

      The truth is that, while I like the guy in a personal way, and I've met him in the flesh, I think that he so well represents this very weak form of progressive Jewish advocacy... if you can even call it that.

      Some of these guys have all the strength and integrity of a paper bag in a rainstorm.

      He's a smart guy, but he represents pretty much everything that I've come to hate about the Jewish left.

      These guys refuse to take their own side in a fight.

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  3. I think it's a case of conflicts and I can understand it is very strong for American Jews. Jews essentially are liberals by any real meaning of the word.

    It's a case of convincing them that Israel is a liberal cause. In fact it is rapidly becoming the litmus test of liberalism. After all the haters and sworn enemies of liberalism have made it the litmus test.

    I don't just mean the Islamists. Not that they aren't alarmiing enough.

    This has become a litmus test in the hard left. You would get away with an opinion that "Green" issues such as whaling are "middle class" indulgences in the Green/Left "alliance" and they will argue all night about other crap but there is just no way that you would get away with saying Israel has a right to exist.

    You would simply become socially unacceptable.


    At the very most you would get away with being agnostic on the issues.

    Back to Stuart. I think it's a matter of calling the Jewish left's bluff on this. Why are they tolerating anti-Israel elements in their liberal parties?

    How do they reconcilable that with liberal principles given what they must know not just Israel but women and gays and pretty much everybody else are up against?

    Are they liberals or not?

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  4. Hi Geoffff
    They apologised in their letter to me and said that sometimes when they get to the bottom of the scrapings barrel the quality is a bit off... yeah, they said that!
    They said that yeast (byproduct of beer-making) is rare and endangered and to make demand they really have to get it from all over...
    Well, I think that's what they meant in their letter. I shoulda scanned it. If I can find it I will.

    They sent me $10 for my pain and suffering.

    You know something, even though it's out of date, Vegemite NEVER goes off!

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  5. I find the rarity of yeast (byproduct of beer-making) a totally unbelieveable excuse.

    Beer rare in Australia? Bulltwaddle.

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  6. And yes the Pizza Hawaiian is happily an Aussie invention.

    It's been around since the seventies and may well have proudly sprung from that part of Australian where I grew up. The Gold Coast of Southern Queensland.

    An important tourism hub then as now. Beach sun shops surf beer gardens girls and plenty of pizza joints

    Think Honolulu except the sand is real.

    And pineapple! All canned pineapple in Australia comes from one factory in Brisbane the state capital just to the north. That's a lot of pineapple.

    Just perfect for busy little restaurants going for something "exotic"

    Hawaiian! Of course

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  7. Hi kae

    I saw that on your blog about the yeast suddenly having a further use in brewing so what was left was passed off as Vegemite quality.

    Unacceptable.

    Under no circumstances should Vegemite be sloppy and runny!

    Keep it in the fridge, the pantry, on the table or under the car seat is never sloppy and runny.

    $10 huh?

    I don't think Kraft fully appreciates the extent of this abuse of their privileges.

    Sloppy and runny indeed.

    And a use by date you say?

    This is too much. You are quite right. Vegemite never expires. Never. It's the one thing that is eternal.

    Sloppy and runny ...

    yuk yuk yuk

    Not acceptable Mr Kraft

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  9. There's a Pizza Capers outlet which makes an excellent Pizza Troppo which is this chain's gourmet version of the Pizza Hawaiian just down in the village a short walk away.

    And I have my elderly parents to feed to night ...

    http://www.pizzacapers.com.au/bourbonchickenflavours/?gclid=CN-2t7_Cy7MCFWpEpgod9ToAfA

    just saying is all

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  10. Thanks for the mention Geoff and it was a lot of fun bringing a little vegemite to the middle east. While the tasting didnt go as well as planned most seemed to somewhat enjoy it :)

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