photos by Carmen
article by Cathy
Consider the following riddle,
and you will find the title and subject of the article!
1 - My first is the short word for vegetable
2 - My second is a great power or strength
3 - Both words should be united
1 - My first is the short word for vegetable (VEG)
2 - My second is a great power or strength (MIGHT)
3 - Both words should be united (VEGEMITE)
VEGEMITE is a soft brown paste that can be spread on bread.
Have you ever tasted Vegemite? We did! A few months ago, a group-mate invited an Australian friend of hers to our conversation class. To get more acquainted with our Australian guest and to know more about the habits and culture of her country, we asked her lots of questions.
She brought a pot of Vegemite to taste (perhaps she knew that French people are “fins gourmets”!) How thoughtful of her to offer us the opportunity to taste some Australian food! I was quite curious to know what it tasted like. But at the first spoonful, I could not help pulling the most horrible face in my life!
It tasted so salty and strange! Somebody suggested that vegemite could taste like our French “Viandox”, a very salty juice made out of cooked meat. It reminded me that my old uncle used to pour some Viandox into his soup every day.
Some time ago a group-mate of ours sought what Vegemite is composed of precisely and learnt that this paste was mostly composed of salt. The other ingredients are vegetables and yeast. Two of our teachers and our Australian guest told us that they are fond of it: “It does taste good if you know how to eat it”! I suppose I could end up liking it should I follow their good advice but, to tell the truth, I have a weakness for sweet things. What about you?
group-mate | a member of the group (the English class) | un(e) élève ou un membre du groupe |
get acquainted with her | get to know her | faire connaissance |
|
how thoughtful of her | how nice she was to think of this | qu'elle était prévoyante et gentille |
||||
I could not help doing … | I could not stop myself doing … | je ne pouvais m'empêcher de … |
to pull a face | make a [unpleasant or negative] face | faire une grimace |
|
sought | past participle of 'to seek' = 'to look for' |
chercha, a cherché |
it reminds me of … | it makes me remember ... | cela me rappelle de … |
|
to be (very) fond of … | to like … (very) very much | aimer (adorer) |
to have a weakness for … | to prefer, or to like … | avoir un faible pour … |