Bangalore traditions ... across the seven seas!
I've rediscovered the Marie Biscuit. Growing up, I considered Marie to be a pretty boring choice especially compared to the chocolate biscuits that I still love to this day(rectangular chocolate biscuit, with chocolate creme! mmm so good!). However, I've come to love this boring little disc of a biscuit.
I remember going to my grandmother's (aka Amma) house, and she'd make me tea and give me Marie biscuits. If we had guests over, out would come the tea and Marie biscuits (and rainbow cake, of course!). Go to any of Amma's siblings homes, out would come the Marie biscuits. No tea is complete without at least one Marie biscuit on the saucer next to it.
Why have I dedicated a post entirely to Marie? Ah, I think I'm homesick. However, I was reminded of the Marie biscuit when Mohammed Mama (Amma's brother) was visiting. I was lucky to have had tea with him a couple of times, and even thousands of miles away from Bangalore - the Marie biscuit was ever present. It also reminded me of the fact that traditions are maintained by people - and how lucky I am to have had access to the people that carry the traditions of my family. Of course, a biscuit isn't really a tradition - but it serves as a good metaphor.
Back to enjoying the Marie, and apparently I'm not alone :-)
MARIE BISCUIT: All South Africans grow up with Marie biscuits. They are sweet, hard, dry cookies which have quite a pleasant taste but little else going for them really. They are quite nice dipped in hot tea or coffee but you have to move fast because they break easily and you may get a brown glup at the bottom of your cup. What you need is a quick dip and out! Expatriate South Africans in America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand tell each other how much they miss Marie biscuits but when someone sends them a packet to relieve their homesickness they wonder what all the fuss was about. (site)
I remember going to my grandmother's (aka Amma) house, and she'd make me tea and give me Marie biscuits. If we had guests over, out would come the tea and Marie biscuits (and rainbow cake, of course!). Go to any of Amma's siblings homes, out would come the Marie biscuits. No tea is complete without at least one Marie biscuit on the saucer next to it.
Why have I dedicated a post entirely to Marie? Ah, I think I'm homesick. However, I was reminded of the Marie biscuit when Mohammed Mama (Amma's brother) was visiting. I was lucky to have had tea with him a couple of times, and even thousands of miles away from Bangalore - the Marie biscuit was ever present. It also reminded me of the fact that traditions are maintained by people - and how lucky I am to have had access to the people that carry the traditions of my family. Of course, a biscuit isn't really a tradition - but it serves as a good metaphor.
Back to enjoying the Marie, and apparently I'm not alone :-)
MARIE BISCUIT: All South Africans grow up with Marie biscuits. They are sweet, hard, dry cookies which have quite a pleasant taste but little else going for them really. They are quite nice dipped in hot tea or coffee but you have to move fast because they break easily and you may get a brown glup at the bottom of your cup. What you need is a quick dip and out! Expatriate South Africans in America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand tell each other how much they miss Marie biscuits but when someone sends them a packet to relieve their homesickness they wonder what all the fuss was about. (site)
posted by zai5h at Friday, August 04, 2006
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