Novelty Snacks of Australia: Vegemite Edition

“Puts a rose in every cheek.”

You didn’t think I spent all that time in Australia without sampling a little Vegemite, did you?

Despite my best efforts, I somehow managed to wait until my very last night before novelty snacking on Vegemite proper. I did try out a bit of Cheesybite early on, but that’s not quite the real deal.

In order to give Vegemite a fair trial I consulted my Australian expert, Allie. I wanted to make sure my Vegemite taste test was as authentic as possible. She wrote specific instructions for how to create the novelty snacks below. To further ensure authenticity, I asked Kate, my Australian housemate, to prepare the snacks. She was more than willing.

Without further ado:

Novelty Snack: Vegemite on toast
Description: A scrape of Vegemite on toast with melted butter or margarine. (We made both).
Tastes Like: How to describe Vegemite? Yeasty, salty, with a bite… nice on warm toast with butter.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Vegemite sandwich
Description: Vegemite and butter on super fresh cheap white bread. (Bonus if it’s cut into triangles)
Tastes Like: Well, again… how to describe Vegemite? I prefer it warmed up as opposed to cold.
Verdict: Thumbs neutral

Novelty Snack: Salada sandwiches
Description: Vegemite and butter on Salada (like Saltine) crackers. Allie made sure I knew to press the crackers together until little worms ooze out of the holes. My housemate Kate seconded this action.
Tastes Like: A cracker sandwich that you don’t really like at first… but a few minutes later are interested in trying again. And then again.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Toasted sandwich
Description: Crusty bread, butter, Vegemite, and cheddar cheese
Tastes Like: A grilled cheese sandwich with a little extra bite and a lingering aftertaste.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Overall, I I liked Vegemite. I highly discourage trying so many Vegemite items in one night, however. Each of us ended up with a bit of a tummy ache. Even the Australian. I do think I preferred the warm snacks (toast, toasted sandwich) to the cold. There’s just more appeal.

I’ll leave you with Allie’s main overall tip: Approach Vegemite like horseradish or mustard– not peanut butter! Well said.

xo, jill

PS. Sorry for the poor photo quality! It was our last night… I couldn’t be bothered!

Novelty Snacks of Australia

Some beautiful tucker.

I just got home from Spain yesterday so it’s only fitting that I finally post about the novelty snacks in Australia, right? Yeah, I know. I know. Just hang in there. Only a few more Australia posts left. And this is the one you’ve all been waiting for. And by “you all” I mean Steph.

Australia was a place I definitely had to hold myself back from snacking. First of all, the snacks ain’t cheap. I didn’t want to waste precious pennies in my budget on risky novelty snacks. Secondly, I had a much longer time frame than usual. I don’t even want to think about going through 10 months worth of snacking photos at my usual snacking pace. So I tried to be smart and consult the experts. Thank you to Allie and Kate for being my personal guides to all things Australian, particularly the snacks.

So let’s go, hey?*

Novelty Snack: Harry’s pie (veggie)
Description: A delicious pie filled with veggies and cheese sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and (vegetarian!) gravy. A “Tiger” includes a scoop of mushy peas as well.
Tastes Like: Savory heaven in a pie shell. This is the ultimate comfort food and is thankfully available into the wee hours of the night. Most pie shops only had veggie pasties, but Harry’s actually offered the real deal. (Pasties are good but can’t beat a pie!) Seriously, why don’t we have more pies in the US?
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Spider (blue raspberry from Bell’s Milk Bar)
Description: What Americans would refer to as a float. I think I side with my countrymen on this one but I did get excited whenever I saw “spiders” on the menu.
Tastes Like: Sugary yum. The syrup was house made and quite delicious. I’m not sure how you could go wrong with a spider.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Cherry Ripe, Australia’s oldest chocolate bar.
Description: Cherries mixed with shredded coconut and topped with dark chocolate.
Tastes Like: Disgustingness. Sorry, Australians. Could not get past the first bite. I’m not sure which is worse: the flavor, the texture, or the aftertaste. Yuck.
Verdict: Thumbs down

Novelty Snack: Cheezels
Description: Puffed cheese snack complete with specific ingestion instructions (note the fingers).
Tastes Like: Cheetos but a bit greasier and more course. There was no danger I wasn’t going to like these.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Caramello Koala (the first mass marketed candy to be modeled after Australian fauna)
Description: Milk chocolate shaped like a Koala (named George) and filled with caramel.
Tastes Like: Chocolate and caramel… not really my jam but I can appreciate why other people might like it (unlike Cherry Ripe!)
Verdict: Thumbs neutral


Novelty Snack: Fairy Bread
Description: Fluffy white bread spread with butter and topped with sprinkles.
Tastes Like: Promising buttery bread with really unappealing hard crunches. Not a fan of the hundreds and thousands style sprinkles. Jimmies might be better. I really wanted to like it. I really did. But… it hit the trash. (I even had an Australian prepare it for me so it would be done right.)
Verdict: Thumbs down

Novelty Snack: Lamington
Description: Sponge cake coated in chocolate and covered in desiccated coconut.
Tastes Like: Quite different than I expected. I anticipated it to be chocolate all the way through (like a brownie or chocolate cake) but it’s so not. The cake is yellow and very spongey. The frosting is less like frosting and more like a coating or ganache. It’s set and somewhat absorbed into the edges of the cake. Basically, it’s pretty good but I couldn’t finish the whole thing. I will also always think of this when I hear the word lamington.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Now I bet you’re thinking, “Where’s the Vegemite?”

Oh, just you wait.

xo, jill

*You need to hear my housie Kate say “hey” at the end of sentences in her cute accent.

A Novelty Snack of the UAE

Or more likely, Oman.There’s a bit of a story to this snack.

Awhile back when I was still teaching in the UAE, I wandered over to the kindergarten portion of the school. I was chatting with one of the KG teachers and mentioned that I was hungry. She the proceeded to dump the contents of a bag out on the table and told me to take my pick. It was the contraband.

Students frequently brought an amazing amount of junk food to school. Chips, candy bars, chocolate sandwiches, etc. The kindergarten teachers took it upon themselves to confiscate the unhealthy food, and now I had my pick of the treats.

I quickly snatched up these Lulu Potato Snacks based solely on the packaging alone. Now, you know I love snacks and I’ve done a fair bit of research. Well, I feel that I can comfortably declare this snack to the have greatest packaging of all time.

I mean, look at those cheeks, the vibrancy of the rainbow, the stars, the color scheme… I love it all.

I ran down to Sarah’s classroom so I could complete an official novelty snack report. It was only just before the hoop reached my mouth that I thought to read the ingredients. Oops. Meat product listed. That’s pretty much an automatic thumbs down for me.

The details are a little sketchy but here’s the offical report nonetheless:

Novelty Snack: Lulu Potato Snacks
Description: Puffed seasoned rings with meat flavor
Tastes Like:
Verdict: Thumbs down!

So sadly, I’ll never know what the snack tastes like. Fortunately, I think the packaging itself is enough.

xo, jill

Novelty Snacks of Canada.

Good, eh?

Novelty snacking in Canada was pretty fun because I was finally able to eat some of the foods my Canadian friends often talk about. I mean, I had been waiting three years to get a taste of poutine! Visiting the Jean Talon market also afforded the opportunity to try a few new fruits and vegetables.

Novelty Snack: Toronto street hotdog (veggie dog, really)
Description: A hotdog grilled right before your eyes with your choice of toppings
Tastes Like: Pickles and mustard. My topping choices overpowered the hotdog itself, which didn’t taste like much.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Beavertail
Description: Fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar, shaped to resemble the tail of a beaver
Tastes Like: A thicker version of an elephant ear.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Poutine
Description: French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds.
Tastes Like: What you would imagine. Delicious! (Although Mike says it wasn’t actually that great compared to other poutine he’s had.)
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Green, purple, and orange cauliflower aka rainbow cauliflower
Description: Alternative varieties to the classic boring white cauliflower that may be healthier too!
Tastes Like: Pretty much the same as white cauliflower but perhaps a tiny bit sweeter.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Cerise de terre (ground cherries)
Description: Like a tiny tomato with a papery cloak.
Tastes Like: A bit like a pineapple and a bit like a tomato.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: St. Viateur bagels, sesame variety
Description: Bagels made in the Montreal style: boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in a wood fire oven.
Tastes Like: A normal bagel but a bit sweeter and more dense.
Verdict: Thumbs neutral when plain (I don’t like sweet bagels) but Thumbs up! with spread.

xo, jill

Novelty Snacks of Laos

I didn’t know what to expect.

I skipped official novelty snacking in Thailand this time because Molly and I were quite thorough a few years ago. In fact, our snacking required 3 posts! (1, 2, 3). Instead, I eagerly waited to test out Laos’ snacking potential.

Novelty Snack: Potato French Fries Snack with Milk Strawberry
Description: French fries with two packets of strawberry flavored ketchup
Tastes Like: Very cheap and gritty strawberry frosting. Not a winning combination.
Verdict: Thumbs down!

Novelty Snack: Nui Chien Bo Macaroni Mix, butter flavor
Description: Fried macaroni flash fried with butter, chili, and garlic
Tastes Like: A corn based snack, very lightly seasoned, nothing special
Verdict: Thumbs neutral

Novelty Snack: Fried river weed
Description: “A Luang Prabang specialty. River weed dried with garlic and sesame seeds, and deep-fried to a crispy perfection.”
Tastes Like: Reminded me of the flavor of pumpkin seeds. You can also really taste the sesame seeds. Much more delicious than anticipated.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Nutella and Banana Crepe
Description: A crispy version of a crepe with Nutella and banana slices.
Tastes Like: Can’t lie. I knew this would be good. But the style of crepe actually was a bit different than I’m used to. The crispy edges reminded me a lot of thin fortune cookies.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

xo, jill

Novelty Snacks of Malaysia

Highs and lows.

Novelty Snack: Waffito Waffles by Daily Fresh
Description: The filling of your choice between two waffles. I picked chocolate and peanut butter.
Tastes Like: Extreme deliciousness much like Flavourspot in Portland but perhaps a bit easier to eat.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Abrus Cantoniensis Herbs Tea Cooling Healty Drinks
Description: A mixture of herbs that helps to cool the body.
Tastes Like: Jaeger without the alcoholic kick, according to Mike. According to me it tastes worse that black licorice mixed with dirt. It was bitter and disgusting. I took a sip and immediately ran to spit it out in the drain. Mike thought I was puking. I had to get something to clean my mouth out immediately.
Verdict: Thumbs neutral, according to Mike. Thumbs way down for me.

Novelty Snack: Paddle Pop
Description: “Toffee and butter caramel flavored ice confection” from Australia.
Tastes Like: Frozen cotton candy.
Verdict: Thumbs up!

Novelty Snack: Chrysanthemum with Honey Drink
Description: Tea made from chrysanthemums and intended to cool.
Tastes Like: Drinking tea made from flowers. Not bad but not really good either. I don’t care for honey so that aspect didn’t help.
Verdict: Thumbs neutral

I purchase a few other items for snacking but upon research learned that they were made with shrimp. Not veggie friendly!

Malaysia is definitely in the lead for most disgusting novelty snack of all time and I hope it stays that way. I really don’t want to taste anything more disgusting than that mystery herbal tea. Yuck.

xo, jill

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