He Just Smiled and Gave Me a Vegemite Sandwich

I've decided that when it comes to condiments, Aussies have got it all wrong.

I had my first Vegemite experience the other day. Nick, my clinical instructor, loves it and said I had to try it. He made me a sandwich with Vegemite, butter, and bread. It was really salty and unlike anything else I've ever tasted. Vegemite was first created in 1922 and is a spread made from brewer's yeast. Aussies love it. They eat it at all times of day, either as its own sandwich or as a spread on a typical sandwich. Everyone says its an acquired taste. I'm not so sure I'll ever get to that point.

Let me continue on to Aussie condiment faux pas number two. They barely use ketchup! How can you eat fish and chips without ketchup?! They dip not only their fish, but also their chips, in tartar sauce. That is just wrong. The other day I bought salt and pepper squid and chips and I had to ask for ketchup because I didn't see it out anywhere. I actually had to pay 40 cents for a tiny packet of it! It was a mere hint of what a ketchup experience should be.

I was starting to think all was lost until I went to the grocery store the other day. I was walking down the aisles and stopped dead in my tracks as I laid my eyes on the most glorious thing I've ever seen...a 12 pack of single serving size Nutella. It's completely genius and gives me hope that someday Aussies will finally get the condiment thing right.