Beer sludge for the open-minded
traveler
by KELSEY OHLEGER
I think it is safe to presume
that college students love beer.
They love drinking it: in plastic
red cups, out of holes on the side of the can and through homemade funnels.
They love playing with it:
beer pong tournaments, endless card games and chugging contests.
They love promoting it: neon
signs hung in cluttered apartments, logos on worn-out t-shirts and embroidered
on sweat-stained ball caps.
I have recently learned of
a way to take this passion a step further by eating it.
Well, not necessarily eating
beer, but more of byproduct of the drink that is popular here in the
South Pacific.
It can be purchased at any
supermarket and most convenience stores and comes in a variety of sizes
of plastic jars with red caps.
This New Zealand delicacy is
known as Marmite.
After beer is brewed, concentrated
yeast sludge is left coating the bottom of the barrel. This thick, dark,
tar-like substance is then processed and packed with salt, vitamins
and extra ingredients before pressed into a jar and sold to kiwis and
other daring individuals.
My native New Zealand flatmates
can’t seem to describe the flavor other than just plain “tasty.”
Generously buttered toast with
a thin layer of Marmite spread on top is an enjoyable snack that
they’ve been eating since they were old enough to chew solid food.
But for Americans, it’s not
as appetizing and it is repeatedly described as “salty” and “bitter.”
“It tastes like salty dirt,”
Boston native Kristen Keaney said. Keaney has been living and studying
in New Zealand for four months and refuses to eat Marmite.
“If I need to coax myself
into to eating something, I’m not meant to eat it,” she said.
I tried the spread within the
first few days I arrived here. After smearing about half a teaspoon
on a piece of toast with butter, I took a small bite while keeping
an open mind.
It has a sharp, unusual taste
with a slight meaty flavor, although it’s 100 percent vegetarian.
I have continued to eat it
this way while remembering the fact that there is some aspect of it
that kiwi’s adore.
Now, four months later, my
thin layer has turned into a solid, gooey coating across a piece of
multigrain toast.
Like my flatmates, I can’t
tell you why I enjoy the spread and or why it is such a satisfying snack,
but I like it.
I’m just glad I was able
to keep an open mind and try it. I think this mind-set is one that every
traveler should maintain while in a foreign environment.
You do not have to like every
entity of that culture, but you will be more apt to enjoy it if you
approach an experience without negative expectations.
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