Marmite on Toast

IMBB 12: is my blog taboo?

The reactions of a a Frenchman to Marmite and other stories...

One of my favourite snacks in the whole world is a nice piece of toast and some delicious, fresh butter (European-style, of course,) topped with a thin spread of Marmite.

Marmite leaves you little room for a middle ground - you either love it or you hate it.



Magnified Marmite, yum, Click to Enlarge.

Some Marmite Notes:

Apart from the fact that it tastes so marMighty fine, Marmite has one of the cleverest advertising campaigns I have ever seen. They completely play off of the fact that half of Britain despises the stuff as ferverently as the remainder adore it. Check out their totally brilliant website which is as much fun for the haters as it is for the lovers. Yes, the Marmite haters get their own separate hellish web pages, complete with suggestions for sandwiches equally as horrific as those made with Marmite, including a Musty offal stew with emmental cheese and a Battered bogey bap.



Massive close up of Marmite, click to enlarge

This morning, shortly before Fred arose, I enjoyed a nice cup of tea and a slice of toast and Marmite for my breakfast. About ten minutes later he surfaced and came down the stairs. He greeted me with a kiss on the lips. At once his nose started twitching and he started sniffing. "Bleh", he muttered, "You've been eating that stuff again". I asked him if he'd like me to make him some. "No! C'mon... I hate that stuff. You know. You still ask me why? Because it's awful. Euuwyeuch!"

So, I failed. I tried twice, today, to persuade Fred to try some Marmite. Combined with all the other times I've tried to trick him into trying the stuff since we met nearly two years ago, I don't think it's ever going to happen.

Some of My Own personal Marmite facts, figures and tips:

-I used to be a Marmite Baby.
-My desk at work is decorated with all the empty marmite jars I have amassed whilst living in the US (over 4 years).
-I got my eloquent description of Marmite published last year in a a BBC news report about English icons.
"Ex-pat Sam Breach, living in San Francisco, nominated Marmite and said: "Apart from all the ex-pats scattered around the world who hoard stockpiles of this delicious, dark, gloopy, salty spread in their foreign kitchens, this uniquely-shaped, yellow-lidded little jar full of savoury goodness is something only the English truly take to their hearts."
-Marmite should be spread very thinly. No wonder the French don't like it, if they think it's meant to be spread like Nutella.
-I once worked in Sweden for a while. I made a large plate of Marmite sandwiches for all my office mates there. They all absolutely LOVED Marmite. There wasn't one sandwich left. Ever since, I have always loved the Swedes. What a discerning bunch of people and what great taste they have!
-One of my favourite TV Ads of all time featured a first-date kiss that ended in disaster because one of the couple had eaten some Marmite shortly before the very brief snog.

Marmite on Toast