Finding Coastal Community Market in Beaufort was a nice surprise. I have always been hooked on health food stores, and this one seems especially well stocked considering its size.
Finding one product on their shelves solved a major challenge for me.
It is funny how you carry around little tidbits of things that have stuck to you like a Velcro ball during the course of your life.
One of my Velcro balls is Marmite which most people have never heard of unless they have a British or Australian connection.
Marmite gets an almost mystical hold over you. London, England's Guardian has a story about the history of Marmite.
Marmite is vegetarian yeast extract that tastes like meat but is actually full of vitamins. My preferred way of eating Marmite is spread it very thinly on buttered toast.
A couple of English friends that we met in Canada introduced me to Marmite. It was love at first taste for me. I actually brought some home from London once.
You don't just go down to the grocery store and buy Marmite unless you live in Canada, Britain, or near one of the stores which are enlightened enough to carry it.
A measure of Roanoke's growing sophistication is that it is no longer a challenge to find Marmite in Roanoke. I actually have purchased Marmite at the Kroger at Tower's Shopping Center.
My regular spot to buy Marmite in Roanoke is the Roanoke Natural Foods Coop, but they went through a shortage in late 2007 so I picked up some Marmite from Fresh Market.
In Northern Virginia many of the Giants carry Marmite. I haven't tried looking for Marmite at Ukrop's yet, but I would be surprised if they didn't carry it.
Finding Marmite on North Carolina's coast is a lesson in how serious the settlers were in keeping all things British out of the area.
However on a trip over to Beaufort, we visited the new Coastal Community
Market which is located at 606 Broad Street.
I was pleasantly surprised to find Marmite on the shelves. It was also priced a little less expensive than my last bottle.
The shopkeeper was almost excited to find another person who likes Marmite as I was to find a local source of one of my favorite treats.
I will not encourage people to taste Marmite because it is expensive at over $5 per bottle, and I suspect the majority of people would not like it.
Also I would hate to see Marmite wasted, and I would be even more upset with an artificial shortage created by Marmite tasters whose taste buds cannot handle the intense flavor.
Marmite is the key ingredient of my "perfect" breakfast which I haven't had in ages since I switched to turkey sausage. I might have to do one of those breakfasts soon.
My wife likens Marmite to country ham flavored axle grease. She also doesn't like soft shell crabs and scallops. That makes her taste buds suspect in my book.
If you have enough strength of character to be interested in Marmite, this link will get you to the FAQ that the Guardian published last summer.
Just don't eat it all.
We have been back to Coastal Community Market a few times. We bought some millet and cracked wheat for my bread baking experiments. Our last trip we bought some wonderful dill flavored cheese.
The store is extremely well stocked including some frozen meat, fresh local eggs, and some organic produce.
It is great to have a local natural foods store. We'll be visiting Coastal Community Market often.
For more information visit their website or give them a call at (252) 728-2844.
