BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE

Subject: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 May 01 - 11:46 PM

Yeah, I know..........so don't read it. It's labeled BS....Get a life.

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Vegemite and Marmite addicts...........Thanks to the efforts of first Helen of Oz who sent me some Vegemite, and now my Maw-In-Law (Clarence) who lives in Atlanta and located some Marmite she sent me, I have now tried each product. It must be the "American" in me, but I can only use the phrase, "The Same, But Different" in comparing them.

I think there is a it more "bite" to the Marmite and yet the Vegemite has a yeastier and saltier appeal. There is a hint more sweetness to the Marmite, possibly more onion and carrot in the mix which would also account for the slightly less salty taste. I will be receiving more Vegemite shortly and will then do more extensive testing and research into this important subject.

Tell ya' one thing though........Those of you who said, "I love (_____) and hate (_____)" have taste buds a lot more sensitive than mine or are xenophobes! If you hate them both I can see it, but if you like the basic flavor, there ain't a lot in it as to difference!

For those of you wondering how this came up..........

Vegemite and other Aussie Dangers

Vegemite and other Aussie Dangers, Pt II

BBRRRAAAAWWWWMMMMPPP--Spaw Gets His Vegemite

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 10 May 01 - 12:04 AM

Actually, 'Spaw, I prefer marmot....or did, before I became a vegetarian. Only problem was gettin those little suckers to hold still long enough so you could tie the twine around their hind foot. Well, that and trying to keep the ravens from stealing all the Cheese Doodles out of the trap.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Crazy Eddie
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:38 AM

For Godsake Spaw! Bein' reasonable about these things is against the rules! Opinions must be totally one-sided, and preferably stated in terms that are insulting to someone or other.
"Marmite RULES, and Vegemite is crap"
or
"Vegimite is the greatest! , and Marmite is for wimps"
These are the kind of statements to promote lively debate.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed them.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 May 01 - 02:43 AM

Be thou a music thread:

"Bodhran polish" and "electric autoharp polish."

Now yer covered. Put that on yer cookie.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Giac
Date: 10 May 01 - 04:27 AM

I love Marmite and I've never tried Vegemite. Therefore I don't like Vegemite. Ain't that the right mindset?

Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: catspaw49
Date: 10 May 01 - 06:04 AM

Giac and Eddie, I want to thank you for pointing out the flaws in my argument here. I dunno' what's wrong with me but I'll try to get my mind right!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:23 AM

Here's someone with far too much time on their hands....

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: sophocleese
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:24 AM

Ah, Spaw how teribly brave of you, first to actually try both and then to suggest there is almost NO DIFFERENCE. Daniel in the lion's den had less courage than you. I have never tried Vegemite but I adore Marmite therefore Vegemite is awful, fit only to be used to repel unwanted members of the opposite sex. Up yours Spaw!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Skeptic
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:40 AM

Spaw, Eddie and Giac,

I think the proper form should be: Having never tried either, I can definanntly state that vegamite is much better tasting, has a better consitancy and is clearly the superior product.

Regards

John

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:02 AM

See also  My mate Marmite

Malcolm (in the Marmite camp, because we didn't have Vegemite during my formative years; could have gone either way otherwise, I should think.)

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: catspaw49
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:13 AM

Not everyone has wishy-washy feelings on the subject. Now my buddy Leej (Lonesome EJ) doesn't care for Marmite at all and I don't think Vegemite would fare much better with him. If you missed it, here's his post from another thread:

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There has been a small jar of Marmite in the back of our cupboard for a couple of years.Spurred on by Spaw's positive experience,I popped open the jar and smeared some of this stuff on a piece of toast.First of all,smear isn't quite the right term.It has the consistency of warm tar,so you sort of blot it on the toast.Now,the taste is..is...well,if you don't have any actual Marmite,I can tell you how to approximate the taste.

1) Take 4 cubes of vegetable bouillion,and mash to a pulpy mass

2)Mix with 1 tablespoon water to a glutinous,thick,gummy consistency

3)Apply to toast with butter knife

4)Remove Marmite residue from knife using a mild solvent and rag

5)Dispose of rag

6)Dispose of Marmite-tainted toast

7)Dispose of balance of jar of Marmite

Now,I kind of like salty stuff,but this...this congealed matter ...excuse me,I've got to go down another glass of cold water.

**********************************************************

Now ya' got to admit, this man knows his tastes and evidently, "Yeast Paste" ain't one of his favorites!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: GUEST,Deltahead
Date: 10 May 01 - 09:18 AM

Vegemite was great until bought out by some bloody monopoly. - Marmite is just a weak pommie (limely in your case) imitation. Try it on raisin toast - and love that tang

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 May 01 - 09:37 AM

There's a cracking good ad on BritTV (temporary deviation to another thread....) for Marmite. Office worker sat in the park eating his lunch looking at an obviously poor homeless man. Office worker gives his lunch to homeless man. Camera pans to office guy walking away, smiling until the sandwich hits him on the back of the head to the sound of Mr Homeless gagging. Catch phrase - Marmite, either love it or hate it..:-)

I love it myself. Vegemite is the imposter. Sent to the antipodes for impersonating a proper spread!

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: MMario
Date: 10 May 01 - 09:38 AM

My folks tried vegamite while "down under" this December. My father said it was too salty; my mother said it was "interesting" - none came back with them.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:09 AM

I'm with spaw on this. I've tried them both, prefer Marmite (and the Marmite clones you can get in supermarkets here which taste exactly the same), because I'm used to them. Vegemite - the flavour's a little bit bland for my taste, but it'd be a perfectly adequate alternative, though . Also the traditional Marmite jar (which the clones have as well) looks prettier on a shelf. Also Vegemite is more expensive, and I'm a scrimper - goes with the less-is-more philosophy of spreading Marmite as thin as you can to get the taste the way it should be.

The thing about both of them, which has only occurred to me recently, is that essentially they are a solid form of soy sauce - if you are doing a Chinese stir-fry, and are out of soy sauce, Marmite does fine.

So if you want to describe the flavour to someone who's never tried it, that's a good way to do so/. Unless they've never had a Chinese meal.

The advert Dave mentions is one of a series. Another has a man sniffing at the milk bottle, before having a swig, the way you do. He turns up his nose - it's clearly gone off. Then he accidentally takes a bite out a Marmite sandwich, gags, and grabs the bottle and pours it down his throat, preferring the sour milk to the Marmite taste.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From:
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:19 AM

Hey
I vote NO
Ma might but I won't
the choice is none for me
the ad is exactly right and it gets us haters' votes for being "Honest Decent and Legal"

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:43 AM

Have tried both, marmite wins hands down AND makes a better curry sauce!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Nemesis
Date: 10 May 01 - 11:48 AM

MARMITE MARMITE MARMITE MARMITE MARMITE MARMITE!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Bert
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:03 PM

Deltahead says that Marmite is the imposter. Dave The Gnome says that Vegemite is the imposter. SO! lets get the historical facts. WHICH one is real? Maybe Bruce has a copy of the very first one on his website.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: GUEST,John Gray / Australia
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:06 PM

'spaw, did you ever get the chance to try the vegemite soup I previously mentioned ? One to two teaspoons of V dissolved in a cup of hot water - delightful. Think I'll have one now.

JG / F.M.E.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Nemesis
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:07 PM

Marmite! Marmite! Marmite! Marmite! Marmite!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: IanC
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:10 PM

Some Info

Marmite FAQ

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Jack The Lad
Date: 10 May 01 - 04:02 PM

Once upon a time you couldn't get Marmite in Israel- and whoever came out to visit would bring it out to the poor deprived souls. Now you can buy it everywhere here. BUT YOU CAN'T BUY VEGEMITE- doesn't that say something? Jack The Lad

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 May 01 - 04:40 PM

Jack the Lad
it says that Marmite is the thin end of the wedge
another similar choice might be -- which sounds better 5 string or 4 string Banjo?
answer - who cares.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: mousethief
Date: 10 May 01 - 04:40 PM

My choice:

NEITHER.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Rollo
Date: 10 May 01 - 05:41 PM

The point is, marmite and vegemite were invented because anglo saxons have a tendency to punish themselves for their sinful lifestyle by eating crap.

Therefore they came not over with marmite, but also with cheddar cheese (wich has the tendency to wipe out all other kinds of cheese in vicinity, McDonald Restaurants and yellow-ish liquids pretending to be beer.

Hurraaah! For Sauerkraut and Wurst!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Bert
Date: 10 May 01 - 06:00 PM

OK. Here's the info.

From Vegemite's web page...
The yeast extract spread we all know and love first appeared on our shelves in 1923.

From a Marmite FAQ page...
Burton-on-Trent has been the home of Marmite since the patent was first acquired in 1902.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 May 01 - 06:03 PM

Nya-nya-nya-na

Told you so;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 May 01 - 06:08 PM

BTW - for those who don't know. Burton-on-Trent is a town of breweries (amongst many other pleasant things) which probably accounts for Marmite, a yeast based product, being from there.

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Bert
Date: 10 May 01 - 06:12 PM

Evidently the brewers PAY Marmite to dispose of the lees.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: lady penelope
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:40 PM

MARMITE ! Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough !!!

TTFN M'Lady P.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:48 PM

"anglo saxons" - ain't no such animal, rollo. And I think it's highly unlikely that Marmite is more (or less)popular among the English than among the Scots Welsh or Irish, if that's what you meant. I once suggested that we should rename the archipelago the Marmite Isles instead of the British Isles.

In the light of what I wrote about soy sauce up there, I strongly suspect Marmite etc is popular in the Chinese diaspora as well. Any news on that?

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Helen
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:16 PM

I think Malcolm has the phenomenon figured out. And to put it in a musical context, if you hear and love a version of a song, and you play it over and over, and then you hear someone else's version of the same song, you tend to think that the second person's version is just crap, and that you know this because you have heard *the real thing*. Even if you hear the first version performed live when you have listened to it on CD you can think that they have ruined their own song.

So, if you grew up with Vegemite like I did, then anything else would be a poor substitute, and vice versa. If you didn't grow up with either then you wonder what the fuss is all about. When you had Vegemite on toast almost every day of your life you get to know the flavour very well, like it is a part of yourself - well, it is isn't it, since we are what we eat!

Anyway, stop talking about Vegemite - you're making me hungry.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: MarkS
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:31 PM

This is kind of like a debate about which is better, broccoli or brussels sprouts!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:42 PM

I still say a vegemot don't hold a candle to a marmot.

Aloha,
Mark

Let's not forget that marmots are the only animals that have an American holiday named for one of them.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 May 01 - 06:19 PM

"if you hear and love a version of a song, and you play it over and over, and then you hear someone else's version of the same song, you tend to think that the second person's version is just crap, and that you know this because you have heard *the real thing*."

I reckon one of the main joys of folk music is that that just doesn't apply. You expect variants, and welcome them, and appreciate how they bring out the different nuances of the underlying song, story or tune. (And that was an example of a musical dfrift in a

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 May 01 - 06:24 PM

...An example of musical drift in a non-musical thread. But my finger slipped.

But the same thing applies in food and drink. I suppose people might always want Coca Cola to taste the same, but you wouldn't only stick to real drinks, such as beer surely, even if you tend to have a favourite brew - and the same should apply to the by-products of brewing, such as Marmite and Vegemite.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 11 May 01 - 07:04 PM

These adverts in Britain. Are they for Marmite? Or for Vegenite? I mean, are they one of these self-deprecating adverts that we are so good at ? Or one of the "knocking" adverts that the Americans are so good at?

I haven't seen one, but I am laughing already.

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Helen
Date: 11 May 01 - 07:28 PM

Thanks, McGrath. I thought my musical drift in a non-musical thread was rather neat. *g*

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 May 01 - 07:50 PM

Hey.....I've eaten both and this IS musical thread!!! Trust me on this......

Helen, I will be forever in your debt for sending me my first jar of Vegemite and beginning this love affair with beer scum. You are a Princess!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 May 01 - 09:04 PM

These adverts in Britain. Are they for Marmite? Or for Vegemite? I mean, are they one of these self-deprecating adverts that we are so good at ? Or one of the "knocking" adverts that the Americans are so good at?

They are for Marmite. The underlying message is "Are you tough enough for Marmite, or are you a wimp?" The opposition isn't Vegemite, it's the people making stuff that rots your teeth when you spread it on bread.

I don't think I've ever seen an ad for Vegemite. I think the only people who tend to buy it here as are homesick Ozzies, or fanatical Neighbours fans (if there are any left). Anyway, all the yeast extract Marmite clones taste exactly like Marmite rather than Vegemite, and are dressed up to look the same. I assume it's the other way round in Australia.

I take it the difference in taste is something to do with different strains of yeast used in the brewing industry in the two countries. Or maybe it's because of the sun going round the sky widdershins out there...

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Bert
Date: 11 May 01 - 10:29 PM

Spaw it's not beer SCUM, it's beer detritus. There's a world of a difference.

MarkS, Brocolli of course, provided it's purple sprouting and not that awful calabrese they palm off as brocolli in the US. Then it would be Brussels sprouts.

McGrath, shame on you, you're a disgrace to Mudcat, you are SUPPOSED to plug your own songs at every available opportunity. Now be a good lad and post a link to The Marmite Song

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 May 01 - 10:47 PM

DETRITUS???? Bert, there is nothing funny in the line "beer detritus" but "beer scum" has a gross and therefore humorous ring to it. Say, how about we settle on "Beer Scrunge?"

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 12 May 01 - 12:03 AM

Just because you can't pronounce it don't mean it ain't funny....

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 May 01 - 06:02 AM

Scum is a good word. The whole concept of using the stuff left over and making something out of it is very ecologically liberating. Let's hear it for the sacred scarab beetle.

(And thank you bert - here's my Marmite song - I'll have to get round to putting the tune up, because someone in New Mexico has emailed me asking me to do that.)

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Mr Red
Date: 12 May 01 - 01:02 PM

If this was a musical thread then both would be OUT OF TUNE!
I thought Vegemmite was a colonial preference.
New Zilian.

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 May 01 - 06:39 PM

I've never heard anyone get excited because some people like rhubarb or burst out in impotent rage because they don't share their neighbours' taste for chillies...

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 May 01 - 07:23 AM

BRING ON THE BOMBS!!!!

Return us to the heady days of the cold war with the Civil Defense rations and Fallout shelters!!!

I AM PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WINTER!!!!!!!

Do to a fortuitous combination of events, Ol' Spaw done got 3 jars of Vegemite AND 3 jars of Marmite!!! Real contentment is knowing your larder is stocked to the gills in "BEER DETRITUS" (satisfied Mark?)..........I'm sleeping much better now.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 May 01 - 01:20 PM

Ugh!

Subject: RE: BS: Vegemite and Marmite--The CHOICE
From: Morticia
Date: 27 May 01 - 02:31 PM

Yeah, Pat but how's Karen sleeping? In another room presumably. Marmite for me everytime, tried both, Vegemite lacks edge.