Bigbazza wrote:

> As I was searching Google today for the information to Joy (Poster
> on AFP) *about 'Promite' that I prefer to 'Vegemite'...I come across
> this interesting web site...It looks like a forum chatter....
>
> Any comments on same?
>
> http://www.uq.net.au/~zzdonsi/food.html


Some comments from the site, followed by mine in brackets, e.g:
[GM: ...]:


"Unless you buy sourdough bread you will find the bread tastes sweet.
[Most bread in Australia is neither sour nor sweet.]"

[GM: depends on where you buy bread, there are all sorts of bakeries
catering to all different tastes, ethnicities, etc. "Mass - market"
US bread often contains sweeteners. Lately I've taken to making my
own...no sugar.]


"Milk also tastes different. The other thing unusual about milk is the
1 gallon containers that they can be bought in (like some orange juice
containers in Oz). [The largest milk containers I've seen in Oz are 3
litres - that's still 780ml short].

[GM: "different" bad - or "different" good...???]


"Butter is a dirty word in the US. Along with margarine it is
currently considered unhealthy. The standard spread for sandwiches is
mayonnaise ( I once ordered a sandwich with butter and after
explaining it a few more times and dealing with the stares associated
with "where'd you park the spaceship?" the shop-assistant nipped out
to the backroom and returned with a blob of oil that passed as
butter). As a consequence there is not a great range of butter or
margarines. What butter exists tastes totally different to the
Australian brands."

[GM: I and many others only use butter, it's a matter of personal
taste. I can buy butter from all sorts of different places...]


"Don't expect to find any vegemite in supermarkets. However if you're
desperate (and you have no friends back home to mail it to you) you
can find promite in certain supermarkets. It comes in a very small jar
and costs more than $5. But don't look in the aisle with the peanut
butters or jams [jelly] because you won't find it. Look near the salt!
[Vegemite is a salty black substance that is commonly spread (very
thinly) on sandwiches and toasts. It is an Australian icon akin to
apple pie for Americans. Ironically its made by Kraft - an American
company!]"

[GM: I can probably find Vegemite in a number of places right here in
my Chicago neighborhood. OTOH you'd probably have bad luck in Arkansas
or even a hundred miles south of Chicago...]


"If you have a craving for beetroot whatever you do don't buy a can
and cover a sandwich with it. Believe me this could ruin your lunch.
[Beetroot is common on a "standard" hamburger in many parts of
Australia.]"

[GM: What would Barb Schaller say...!!!???"]


"In the summer there is plenty of lovely fruit. Strawberries the size
of golf balls can be easily found. Compared to the tasteless
Australian variety these taste beautiful. Cherries are also great.
[Australia has an abundance of lovely summer fruit (plums, peaches,
grapes, watermelon etc) and quite a good winter crop too (mandarins,
oranges & apples) but cherries and strawberries in particular are
better in the US.]"

[GM: quality of fruit can vary widely by season and location and also
by source. Plenty of drab strawberries around...or you can get great
ones at farmer's markets, etc.]


Most of the comments seem like the sort of stuff USAin's say about
European or Oz or whatever food...people are set in their taste ways/
habits, Australians are no exception...


--
Best
Greg