Two of the greatest travesties to ever occur in Australia can be found in one jar.

First, after over 75 years, Vegemite was re-created with a new recipe that essentially combined the traditional concentrated yeast extract spread with spreadable cream cheese, both manufactured by Kraft. To me, this is tantamount to changing the lyrics to a national anthem, or not sacrificing a virgin at a religious ceremony. (Wait... what?) It completely screws with tradition, and (in this case) your tastebuds. Thankfully, the original Vegemite has been kept. *whew* Reactions to the taste have been mixed. I don't like it, my S.O. loves it. YMMV.

Second, the name. Just like the original Vegemite, there was a contest to choose the name. There were over 48,000 entries. iSnack 2.0 was chosen as it was supposed to appeal to a new generation, and to be reminiscent of the iPod and Web 2.0. It would have worked, had it not been a food product instead.

After the 2009 AFL Grand Final, where it was announced, there was a massive backlash regarding the name. Parodies such as "iHate 2.0" have already surfaced, three days after the Grand Final. In addition, websites such as "Names That Are Better Than iSnack 2.0" have already surfaced. Hell, even "Marmite" would be better than iSnack 2.0.1

    We're happy little iSnacks, as bright as bright can be
    We all enjoy our iSnack, for breakfast lunch and tea
    Our mummies say we're growing stronger every single week
    Because we love our iSnack 2.0, we all adore our iSnack 2.0,
    It puts a rose in every cheek.

Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?


UPDATE: Kraft have since come to their senses, dropped the name, and kept the product on the market under the name "Cheesybite". Hmm...

1 wertperch correctly points out that Vegemite was an adaptation of Marmite - the name itself was possibly a portmanteau of "vegetable" and "marmite". Still, nobody can deny that in Australia, Vegemite is far, far more popular.

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