A Toast...

So I’m standing in the kitchen waiting for the toast to pop when I realise that I haven’t even put a slice of bread in yet.

It’s going to be another one of those days.

Personally, I blame Vegemite.

They went and changed it.

And instead of the famous black spread in the glass jar, it’s more of a muddy brown mixture looking at me from the kitchen bench. It doesn’t have the same yellow lid. It doesn’t even have a name yet.

Seriously, why would you mess with a recipe that has had generations hum that little ditty as they tear into their toast?

It’s the best thing since sliced bread for my money. Or to be more precise, it’s the best thing since before sliced bread (Vegemite: 1922, sliced bread: 1928, if you believe Wikipedia). But now it’s become some sort of cream cheese mixture that is supposedly easier to spread. Doesn’t look right, doesn’t taste right, sure doesn’t feel right!

I’m a Vegemite kid from way back, my kids are Vegemite kids (although my Beloved is not- the traitor), and it’s a rare day we do not have it on our toast or sandwiches.

I even took a small case of it to the States when I went to a JIA conference a couple of years back- we were going for less than 2 weeks but my son and I couldn’t last that long without it. And didn’t it raise some eyebrows and some issues?!

Take Customs and airport security for example. Oh yes my old nemesis just had to come sniffing around when I offered up my little bag containing 30 single use packets of the beautiful black stuff. But would they try it? Oh no. They weren’t allowed to, they said. (I think they were afraid of it, myself.)

Then when I happily tried to share our stash with our American friends, the reactions were mixed, and priceless for some. Turns out I couldn’t give the stuff away, which was ok by us- it meant we had more to spread on those funny little breakfast buns called bagels and make us feel like we were doing our patriotic best for Aussie breakfasts abroad.

Now, despite there being a very good piece of advice which states one shouldn’t reinvent the wheel, some bright spark at Kraft has thought up this way to ‘improve’ an old fashioned favourite. And I have to admit, curiosity got the better of me.

But, I am not a happy little Vegemite.

Things are not as bright as bright can be.

And since they changed the recipe, we will not enjoy that Vegemite for breakfast, lunch, or tea.

Plus, I’ve half a mind to send in my suggestion of what they could name their so-called new improved version. Except I don’t think they’d let me print that on a jar.

Jx
©2009