Hands off my Vegemite, Kevin Rudd tells US airport staff
Australian foreign minister tweets that New York airport authorities tried to confiscate his supply
Former Australian Prime Minister (and current Foreign Minister) Kevin Rudd had a run-in with security at the airport in Mexico City en route to New York when his Vegemite caused concern to authorities, who tried to confiscate it.
Rudd was en route to New York for the United Nation's General Assembly when his Vegemite was flagged as "a potentially dangerous liquid," [as well it should be] the Herald Sun reports.
"Airport staff were surprised when I said it is good for you & I ate it for breakfast. They then waved me through," he added.
Vegemite was also a source of disagreement when Julia Gillard made her only visit to the United States as prime minister in March. She and the US president, Barack Obama, visited a high school in Virginia where an 11th grade student asked what Vegemite was.
"It's horrible," Obama exclaimed. [well, at least there's one thing we agree on]
"I love Vegemite," Gillard said, noting that their opinions of the spread served as a "little bit of division" between the two of them.
The Australian invention, launched in 1923, has a high vitamin B content and is marketed heavily on its health benefits for children. Australians abroad commonly bemoan how difficult Vegemite is to find.
It sparked international curiosity when "a Vegemite sandwich" was mentioned in the lyrics of the Australian band Men at Work's hit song Down Under, which topped the US and British charts in 1983.
The former prime minister John Howard claims more Australians know the lyrics of a Vegemite advertising jingle written in 1954 than know the Australian national anthem.
Vegemite is salty muck and should be disposed of carefully and thoroughly.
Marmite on the other hand...
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:56 pm
by Scooter
...is salty muck that should be spread over asphalt to give tires extra traction in wet/icy weather?
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:57 pm
by dales
U235 vs. U237
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:15 pm
by Gob
Extra strong marmite!! Must get some!!
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:43 pm
by Sean
*drool*
My mum's coming out in November so I'll get my order in!
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:52 pm
by Lord Jim
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:59 pm
by Gob
Sean wrote:*drool*
My mum's coming out in November so I'll get my order in!
We're going back to Blighty in December. I'll be coming back with my camera, the clothes I'm stood up in, and a rucksack full of Marmite XO and Laphrohiag.
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:40 am
by Sean
Tch! You can always buy a new camera...
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 3:22 pm
by Miles
What is marmite made of?
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 3:37 pm
by dales
Do you REALLY want to know?
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:11 pm
by Beer Sponge
Miles wrote:What is marmite made of?
Toxic waste, fermented in santorum.
Re: Well That Certainly Seems Appropriate...
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:58 pm
by Gob
Miles wrote:What is marmite made of?
While the actual process is secret, the general method for making yeast extract on a commercial scale is to add salt to a suspension of yeast, making the solution hypertonic, which leads to the cells shrivelling up; this triggers "autolysis", in which the yeast self-destructs. The dying yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, and since yeast cells have thick hull walls which would detract from the smoothness of the end product, the husks are sieved out. As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acids, which are analogous to monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Today, the main ingredients of Marmite manufactured in the UK are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride (table salt), vegetable extract, niacin, thiamine, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid, and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret. By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; vitamin B12 is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture. With the vitamin B1 deficiency beri-beri being common during the First World War, the spread became more popular.
