My First Vegemite Experience

My Aussie friend just moved to the States from DOWN UNDA *ignorantly poor Australian accent*, and brought along a little taste of home. Besides their love of Outback Steakhouse, Foster's Beer, and the slogan 'No Rules, Just Right', Australians apparently also love Vegemite. Vegemite is a food spread made from yeast extract, whatever that is. It sounds like some sort of stomach parasite, which I guess isn't that far from the truth considering it's made from yeast. The packaging also looks like something that the Acme Corporation from Looney Tunes would sell. I'm in.

First thought: Kraft makes this?! Second thought: I'm hungry. F' it. My friend was kind enough to make some toast, spread a light layer of butter, and then slather on the Vegemite for me. I'm not actually capable of making food for myself. Today I threw a bunch of deli meat into a bag of spinach and ate it straight. Just like a real grown up. True story. Anyways, I took a bite of my toast and immediately fell in love with this spreadable delight. It's much saltier than butter, but also much more savory. There is also an oniony undertone and a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste. The salty flavor of the Vegemite mixed perfectly with the semi-sweet butter. Apparently Vegemite is an acquired taste for most, but I'm already on board. Now all I need to do is find a grocery that carries it...

Pioneer Pit Beef - Windsor Mill, MD

Look at that picture. Look at it carefully. If you didn't notice, Pioneer Pit Beef looks like a dump. Suffice it to say, this joint is not taking your fancy credit card. The shack is located on some random corner near Security Square Mall. Don't worry though, it is easily identified by the horrible puke yellow/green color scheme, the all-caps screaming of 'PIT BEEF' painted on the roof, and the gigantic picture of the food product they sell on the front facade. Nothing says classy like a big ass picture of sandwich + meat, and thats how I likes my food establishments, classy as sh*t. But what is this? Tucked away under that jail cell window is a sign that says 'World Class Pit Beef. Nobody Does it Better.' Lemme tell you something son. They ain't lying.

For those of you not from the Baltimore area, pit beef is our very own distinct style of BBQ. A large hunk of top round is grilled until the meat is blackened on the outside, but juicy and rare on the inside. The beef is then thrown onto a deli slicer and carved paper thin. Typically, pit beef is served on a kaiser roll with tiger sauce, a mixture of horseradish sauce and mayonnaise, and Pioneer's model is no exception. The staff at Pioneer asks how you want your meat cooked, and then slices off a fresh bite for you to sample. This tactic is brilliant by the way. The sample I was given was so juicy and full of flavor that I decided to order a larger sandwich. Every meaty bite was tender and melt-in-your-mouth awesome. The decision to up size turned out to be rather unnecessary though. The 'regular' size along with some boardwalk style hand-cut fries would have been more than enough to satisfy me at lunch time. Good thing I'm a complete glutton.

Oishinbo (The Gourmet)

Recently, a friend introduced me to something that combines two of my favorite things, comic books and food. The fine people at Viz Media have imported one of the most popular and long-running mangas of all time, and selected some choice chapters to translate into English. Each chapter reflects on and gives insight into the overarching theme of each volume, ranging from Japanese cuisine as a whole, sake, sashimi, all the way to Japanese pubs. Its dorky I suppose, but I'm Asian and I'm totally into it, for whatever thats worth.

Oishinbo follows Yamaoka Shiro, a slacker journalist for the Tozai News, as he attempts to put together a story on the 'Ultimate Menu', representing all that is great about Japanese cuisine. Yamaoka also happens to have a very refined palate and a strong all-around knowledge of cuisine. His rival in this endeavor is his very own father and mentor, Kaibara Yuzan, who has been hired by a competing newspaper to create their own 'Supreme Menu'. While the premise might seem a bit silly, the author does a great job of illustrating the complexities of Japanese cuisine and the exquisite care that goes into its preparation while infusing humor into each scene. Within each battle or challenge, Yamaoka explains the techniques required to cook each dish, discusses the quality of the ingredients going into the dish, and generally makes me incredibly hungry for whatever the characters are eating.

I've just finished the 1st volume and, other than an extreme craving for sushi, I already feel like I have a much higher comprehension of Japanese cuisine. Definitely incredibly psyched to start the 2nd volume: Sake. Finally I will understand what my Japanese pal Yuya is jabbering about when he gets drunk. Check out the series if you get a chance!