Funny that Crumpacker says keep the Vegemite but I'll have beer instead since Vegemite is a by-product of the brewing industry. (Brewer's yeast is a significant part of it). Someone I knew made his own stout once and I took one sip and told him it tasted like liquid Vegemite. Rather than take that as a criticism he said something to the effect of "Yes, it's good, isn't it?"

I like Vegemite, don't mind Marmite, but it has a slightly different taste. It is addictive because of the high vitamin B content. Great for dosing up on when I have a cold sore imminent, and in fact, when I am not likely to be seen by anyone, I actually smear a bit on the not-yet-emerged cold sore to make it go away. A herbalist stated in a book somewhere that the cold-sore does something to the cell walls to prevent the virus-attacking agents (anti-bodies??) from attcking the virus so that it is why cold sores are so difficult to beat. The herbalist said that the Vegemite helps to break down the barriers to let the anti-bodies in. It seems to work, but given the discussion in the Explaining the Unexplained II thread on scientific method I'll just say that I haven't tested it scientifically so I could be just talking through my hat. (big Vegemite-y grin - a true Oz trademark - Common morning quote in Oz = "so, we know what *you* had for breakfast!!")

Helen