G`day Mate - A Canuck Goes Aussie!

-

Yesterday I surprise showed up in the mail, a package of goodies from Down Under compliments of my sister and brother-in-law,Cari and Steve. It was a family birthday gift box with a little something for all of us.

I just had to try the Bush Jerky made out of kangaroo meat. It was good,sweeter than I expected,and not as tough as beef jerky. Arnott`s Tim Tam chocolate biscuits were very good but so decadently rich. I tried one but saved them for the sweet toothed ones in the family.....Chelsea and Josh. Needless to say they didn`t last long....lol.Paton`s Macadamia chocolate covered nuts were brilliant and Monica`s favorite.

Last night after the gym I decided it was time to try an Aussie staple.....vegemite. I`ve heard lots about it,most of it admittedly negative,but millions of Aussies can`t be wrong? I cracked open the jar of Kraft branded vegemite with no preconceptions. I knew that it was used as a spread on biscuits and breads so I took a Maritime Canadian staple, the saltine cracker, added some vegemite and dug in.

PAUSE FOR EFFECT

Hmmmm.......it`s not that bad. In fact the concentrated yeast extract was good. Reminded me immediately of a black Guinness extra stout. After Cari mentioned it was popular on bread with butter I gave that a go and liked it even better. Today I checked out the website (www.vegemite.com.au) and found out it is the by-product of beer production. Nice! Guess that explains why i like it.....lol. The best way I can describe it is a spread that is salty, malty with a texture similar to peanut butter. Tonight I tried it on crackers with a slice of cheese. That was good as well.

The fridge magnet of Aussie slang is cute, the Koala soap and pencils in Chelsea`s possession and the Bushland tea heading to the tea pot. I tried the Eucalyptus massage oil on my legs last night after the gym and it felt grand. Not doubt it will be rubbed in again tonight after the sufferfest of the Thursday night time trial.

Thanks Cari and Steve for the treats from Down Under. Much appreciated! For those not in the know C&S are in Brisbane for a work term and have chronicled their adventures via a blog. Check it out......great pics and text.

http://thedickinsons.blogspot.com/

Comments

Cari said…
Yes, leave it to the Aussies to have a breakfast staple that originated from beer;) Glad you guys enjoyed everything! And just in case you're wondering...the beer holder isn't a beer holder, I was informed of the lingo for this one very early on...Aussies love their "stubby holders" :)
4:16 PM
George said…
LOL...."stubby holders" Gotcha!Now my next task.....find vegemite here in Halifax. I`m sure some specialty shops have it.

Thanks again.

Geo
4:23 PM
Cari said…
if you like it and can't find it in halifax, let me know and i can mail you a big jar of it. i can send you the one that you buy in the grocery store here...should last you awhile...
2:41 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chi, Ionized Water, Good Health and Q-Ray

-
Recently I have been doing some research into the Chinese practice of achieving "Chi", the balancing of the body`s "life force" in terms of well being.The premise being that to have good health one must balance positive/negative energies (ions)to achieve harmony. From what I have ascertained thus far the act of living creates positive ions in the body that need to be countered by negative ions. They attract each other and become as one. Nature, it seems, supplies negative ions through good food, clean air and pure water. The problem is that we now live in an increasingly polluted enviroment where pure food, water and air is at a premium.It is harder for the body to get the negative ions it needs to balance the positive ones that are the byproducts of living.It all reminds me of the whole free radical/antioxidant debate. Are they, in fact, one and the same?One an ancient Far Eastern belief and the other a 20th century scientific standard but both essentially the same...
Read more

WMD-C38 Bicycle Wheel Review

-
Image
Happy Birthday to me! Needless to say I was gobsmacked when Canada Post dropped off a box this morning from Steve at Wheels Of Mass Destruction based out of Montreal Canada. Let the record show that Steve is my brother in law but I had no idea a set of (gorgeous) carbon fibre wheels were heading my way. Dude - you rock! http://ridewmd.com/index.php Not without some strings though. I quote....     "I wanted someone to test out my wheels that I know will give me constructive feedback. If you don't mind riding these wheels hard and giving me updates every couple of weeks I would really like it if you can give them a good run for the money...." No problem at all! I'll gladly do my best to test their mettle. PART ONE - INITIAL IMPRESSIONS Packaging - As a former warehouse supervisor for most of my working career I was impressed with the quality of the packaging. The wheels arrived at my door in a 26X26X12 sized S-4912 Uline singlewall box. Completely ...
Read more

Scythian Bow - Flagella Dei

-
Image
After several years of interest I finally decided to purchase a Scythian style of horse bow from Flagella Dei Archery based in Hungary.    Opted for a yew laminated bow #42@28 so it was a custom build but worth the wait. Feather light and simply beautiful. Build quality is great and pictures just do not give justice to the eye candy quality of the lamination, tip reinforcements and quality leather handle wrap. Shipping was fast from Europe and bow was professionally boxed with bubble wrap and a nice bow sack. Included was a certificate of authentication complete with the bowyer's signature and warranty information. Needless to say I was anxious to get it outside and loose some arrows. The rain held off on Saturday so it was a perfect opportunity to get out under the green. I just love this bow. Not only is it lightweight with precious little hand shock but is amazingly silent as well. I was using bamboo and wooden arrows but the bamboo arrows definitely suited the bow better o...
Read more