Customer Reviews

The Mish-Mash Dictionary of Marmite

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4 star:		(1)
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By Garry Clifford
The sun may have dimmed a bit on the once mighty British Empire, but its legacy lives on in weird and wonderful ways. One of the most widespread is the iconic breakfast spread of gooey black concentrated yeast extract known as "Marmite." Regarded by the Brits as a national treasure, the brown jar with the bright yellow lid shows up in some of the most remote places on the globe.(Just this year Jesus appeared in Wales in a Marmite lid). People love it or loathe it. Maggie Hall, an intrepid reporter, who has spent the last 40 years covering both sides of the pond, has written a delightfully funny book about this little wonder titled: "The Mish-Mash Dictionary of Marmite, an anecdotal A-Z of 'Tar-in a-Jar'." Filled with wonderful historical stories and bizarre lore, it is a great read for nearly everyone and not for Brits alone. But if you're a Brit--Buy Two!


*****

I purchased for a friend spending Christmas with us....he is from Australia...and knows how I do not appreciate his local spread, Veggiemite....so we had a good laugh with this fun book

This is a fun book assuming you have any interest in Marmite. Over a period of about three years Maggie Hall occasionally took the time to do some intensive googling on "Marmite" following many of these leads with phone interviews. Add some other fun facts and a site visit to the Marmite plant and you pretty much have this book. Hall is a good writer and the alphabetized 'mish-mash' works better than I would have imagined. For instance, it is less repetitive than I would have expected. On the other hand, this is not a book that will withstand the test of time (much of it will be out of date in a few years) and it is pretty uneven with some entries feeling like they've been added to pad things out a bit. All in all it beats a lashing of Vegemite.

Now I know what I would do with Marmite: use it for fish bait and to murder garden slugs. Maggie Hall's new book consistently rewards the reader with tasty tidbits. I can't wait for the movie version! Margaret S

Maggie Hall's Mish Mash Dictionary of Marmite is full of fascinating and fun facts. It's a surprising blend of product info, history, recipes, cartoons and reasons for brand loyalty or loathing. What a grand tour of the British psyche and sense of humor, as well as its breakfast table. Yes, it is an ideal bathroom book, but I couldn't put it down. Was just too anxious to read the next silly, sexy, touching, ironic, or helpful item -- most of which were revelations. Your UK friends and closet Anglophiles like me may appreciate this book the most, but almost anyone will enjoy it. People who love Marmite, or love to hate it, are everywhere. As I learned from M3 -- Mish Mash Marmite -- the salty spread has even traveled to outer space! For the record: Marmite isn't my thing. Make mine peanut butter & jelly on a toasted English muffin, thank you.

Though, apparently, Marmite is certified Kosher (see p. 96), it doesn't come close to the joys of chopped liver and gefilte fish. (Oh? You don't find those joyful?) But even for those (like me) who can't stomach the stuff, this book is a treat. Delightfully written and cleverly illustrated, it's at the top of the gift list for all my Brit friends. From a quickie, quoted here in its entirety: "Prostitute: in old Parisian Patois, slang, `marmite' was the term for a whore." To a three page entry on Umami - the "fifth taste," here you have the perfect bathroom reader; an opus that can accommodate any length movement.