[Hoot Gibson]

I've never heard of that Hoot.

I've been binge watching some entertaining YouTube travel channels and I also subscribe to several cooking channels. YouTube's algorithm suggested some Norwegian videos to me and one of them included Norwegian breakfasts.

Not long after we were married, my wife and I took a two week trip across the north shore of Lake Superior. In Wisconsin, we tried chocolate cheese and loved it. I have never eaten it since. Brown cheese reminded me of that experience, so I decided to give it a shot. So, for the past three days, my breakfast has consisted of two English crumpets spread with butter, brown cheese, and raspberry preserves. I highly recommend the combination. Brown cheese is also a great source of vitamin B12. I also highly recommend chocolate cheese if you every have a chance to try it.

I recently tried a popular English breakfast that includes Marmite, which I had not heard of until recently. The Brits spread butter and a very thin layer of Marmite on toast. They say that it is another food that people tend to love or hate. So far, I am firmly in the hate column. The stuff is disgusting. I spread it on a crumpet and I thought I was spreading it very thin but I must have used too much. Yuck!

Marmite is very nutritious and it is a great source of B complex vitamins. It is a yeast extract and a byproduct of beer brewing. Similar products, such as Vegemite are sold in countries such as Australia. Small amounts are often added to stews. I plan to add a teaspoon to the next batch of chili that I make. Supposedly, it intensifies meat flavor in dishes the way that MSG and soy sauce does. Marmite is very salty.