Dear Australians

[thebitterguy]

My mother, on a recent trip to your fair land (by recent, read "sometime in mid 2003") brought me back a gift of a small toy Koala and a bottle of vegemite.

Now, I have vague recollections of the substance from my time down under (WJ '88), and it was generally considered to be the kind of thing locals feed to visitors as a gag (Sure, we always eat Poutine! It's great! Try some!).

Anyway, so I now have a bottle of the stuff. Only thing is, it expired a couple months ago (April 30 '04).

So, here's the question: is it now poisonous? Less palatable (if such a thing is possible)? Just kinda icky?

It's staring me in the face, daring me to do something with it. Is it safe to throw it out? Incinerate it? Feed it to the cats?

Help me! Dear God, help me!

Comments

[ladyjestyr.livejournal.com]

Vegemite doesn't go off. It remains exactly as palatable as it always was. Honest. (Mind you, the person who granted Vegemite the legal status of 'comestible' needs to be severely questioned re sanity, and state of tastebuds.)

On a serious note, Vegemite probably starts getting dubious perhaps a couple of years after the use-by date - or when there's actually stuff growing on it. (Although anything capable of growing on Vegemite probably needs to be reported to the CDC.)

[thebitterguy]

Okay, then, here's another thought: What the hell do I use it for? It's a spread, right? What does it go with? Or ON for that matter?

[ladyjestyr.livejournal.com]

Use it for:
* emergency boot polish
* re-bitumening a road
* tile grout
* Special Forces facepaint for night operations

Also, I'm told you can eat it.

(Seriously, it's not *that* bad. Occasionally even I get cravings for it. Spread it on liberally buttered and very hot toast, very thinly. Tasty in winter.)

[artbroken.livejournal.com]

Elle has the right of it. Vegemite endures.

To test the waters, I recommend this simple breakfast:

- Toast some bread

- Butter it

- Spread a thin layer of Vegemite on it

- Eat it

- Savor the salty, yeasty black goodness

Vegemite is great. Just don't expect it to be sweet.

[haidee.livejournal.com]

and here's another couple of ideas:
stir a half teaspoon of vegemite into a glass of boiling water and you have almost bovril!
or, use it to flavour your stews and soups, that's what my mum does with it. Me, I have little portion controlled packets to torment visitors with. No way is it passing these lips
*shudder*

and it does go off. If it won't spread on hot toast, (it stays in a little ball and generally looks a bit ooky) chuck it.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

You could feed it to the cats, but I'm betting they won't eat it, it's fairly salty. On the other hand, that saltiness is what keeps it fairly well-preserved. I don't think that it would be inedible at this point, but if we were talking a year out of expiry, then I'd say "RUN! Run for your life!" because it might become Cthulian at any moment. It is, after all, a yeast-based product...

The above suggestions are good, also, it makes a nice gravy, and is good when you're making stir-fry sauce. I think it's kind of soy-saucey, myself. But I've only tried it like, once or twice... when hungover. Long story.