Peanut butter and Jam

Hi reader(s),

I just thought I would post about a conversation I had the other day with a couple of co-workers.  In case you are not aware,  Vegemite is a very common snack food here in Australia.  Vegemite is a yeast based spread that most people eat on toast with some butter.  It is definitely an acquired taste.  One that I am happy to say I cannot acquire :) 

The reason I mention this is that Vegemite came up in a conversation at work the other day.  Damian, my Aussi co-worker whom is a stout Vegemite supporter asked myself and two other co-workers what the "big deal" was about peanut butter and jam sandwiches.  He claimed he had never eaten a "PB&J" sandwich.  Damian may as well have speaking Cantonese.  Neither Louis, Jomar or myself could comprehend never having the opportunity to savour such a delicious treat. 

The three of us proceeded to outline the proper peanut butter and jam sandwich experience.  I mentioned that you should have it with ice cold milk,  Louis added that it must be prepared with only the moistest of bread and Jomar ended with the point that the bread needs to be white bread.  None of that wholewheat, cracked wheat, 9 grain crap.  White bread .... bleached to perfection.  

Why am I telling you this you might ask yourself?  Well, after we had convinced Damian that he just might be missing one of the all time best food experiences on the planet I couldn't help but reflect on the conversation.  What I haven't told you is that Louis is an Argentinian, born to an Italian family, who grew up partially in the US.  Jomar is a Philipino who grew up dirt poor and left home at 18 to find a better life in Australia.   Our up bringings are vastly different.  Our cultures couldn't be more diverse yet we all share a common love of PB&J.  What stuck in my brain was that no matter our race, colour, culture or beliefs, most people are just people at the end of the day.  Sometimes we love the same things, sometimes we don't.   Most of all, if someone hasn't experienced PB&J, it is not cause for scorn or fear, but cause for celebration of our differences!