So I still haven't managed to run into any kangaroos...

but I have managed to eat one, or at least part of one. Last week, I had my first bite of kangaroo meat in a tasty Thai kangaroo salad, made by Cecilia, one of my flatmates, and her friend Ruth (sorry, no pics, but it just looks like meat). It was very tender, but I was told that it can be quite tough if not prepared the right way, which means you don't cook it too long. It's to be eaten rather rare. I'm looking forward to having some again.

I don't think kangaroo meat is that commonly eaten here, though. Gail, one of the Rotarians in my host club, has never had it before and she's lived in Australia her whole life, and it's not sold at the Queen Victoria market, which is a huge open air market that also has an indoor meat and fish section. There are packages of kangaroo burgers at the local supermarket, but I haven't tried them yet. But I suppose it's not commonly eaten because it's considered game, like venison or rabbit meat, both of which I've never had and I don't think most people in the U.S. eat either.

A couple weeks ago, I also had a taste of another uniquely Australian food item--Vegemite. Vegemite is a spread made from yeast extract that Aussies put on toast and sandwiches an also use to flavor soups/stews. I had heard about Vegemite before I came when I met some Australians during previous travels. They raved about it and had grown up on it (it's so well-loved here that there is even a website dedicated to it www.vegemite.com.au with its history, nutritional info, and recipes!), while non-Aussies who had tasted it crinkled their faces in disgust. I had read elsewhere that if you hadn't acquired the taste for it when you were young, you probably would never acquire the taste for it. When I told my Aussie housemate that I had tried some, she said, "And you survived?"

So, of course, I was eager to try this apparently inaccessible food and meet the Vegemite challenge. I had my opportunity when I went to a breakfast meeting of a local Rotary Club with Ryan. Somehow vegemite came up and I mentioned that I had yet to try it. Well, it was my lucky day because there on the table, along with the little packets of butter and jelly, were little packets of vegemite, which one of the Rotarians eagerly tossed at me.

Before I dug in, though, I was thoroughly prepped by everyone at the table. "Don't put too much on, just a thin layer." "You just have to remember, it's savory, not sweet." "It's like salt--you wouldn't dump a lot of salt on your food." And the split-second before my knife with vegemite touched my toast, Ryan urged, "just the tiniest bit." By this point, I was quite scared. How bad was it? Plus, I'm not good at hiding my emotions so I was afraid my face would make the most awful expression, which would be highly undiplomatic. Anyway, I proceeded to spread the thinnest layer of this dark brown paste on just a quarter of my piece of toast. (Why waste it if it turned out I didn't like it?) Then I cut off that quarter, very gingerly placed it between my teeth, and took a bite.

To my surprise, it really wasn't bad at all. It was just kind of salty and savory, like I was told. I would liken it to soy sauce, but much thicker. Something that gives the food a little extra flavor. I guess I can understand why many people from other Anglo cultures wouldn't like it since their foods aren't exactly the most flavorful.

Given all the warnings, though, I was prepared for something really nasty. I thought it was going to taste like something rotten, like kimchi that's so over-ripe you can't even make kimchi jigae with it (I've had an accidental taste of that many times in my life, and believe me, it's really bad--just think, it tastes like its smells). But I guess acquiring the taste for the pungent yumminess of kimchi when you're young will probably prepare your palate for most things.