The first reason for my excitement is due to the fact that the marmalade is called "Burlington Breakfast Marmalade", and Burlington, Ontario is where I live. It's really quite novel.
(I'm not very good with "food styling" but I do my best)
The second reason is because I really do enjoy marmalade: on scones, on toast... Maybe even on a crumpet.
For the past couple of months, the Burlington Breakfast Marmalade has been living at my Mom's house, unopened. This is because she has another jar of marmalade that she has yet to finish, and so she didn't want to open the Burlington Breakfast. Fine. After asking about it recently, though, she agreed to let me take it home - on the condition that I share it with her. Fine again. So I brought it home, took some pictures of it (it's in a really nice jar) and then cracked it open to eat with some good bread.
...It's okay.
I like it - I do, really - but it's a little bitter. The orange peels, that is. And I suppose it's a good thing because it means that the marmalade isn't all sugar, but still... I'm not used to the bitterness. I'll keep eating it, of course. I just can't help but think how disappointed Paddington Bear would be if we had Burlington Breakfast Marmalade together at tea. (Actually, he probably wouldn't care whether or not I was used to the bitterness or not, as long as he could eat as much as he wants.)
My brother and I both grew up watching the original Paddington Bear TV show produced by FilmFair, which used both three-dimensional puppets and two-dimensional pictures. If you don't know what I'm talking about (or feel a little nostalgic), you can check it out here: Please Look After This Bear. I think it's the first episode of the series and everything I remember Paddington to be - including the narration of Michael Hordern.
Paddington's basic biography is that he grew up in Darkest Peru with his Aunt Lucy. Before being named 'Paddington' by the Browns (the Family that adopted him in London, England), his name was Pastuso. He came to London by stowing away on a ship and ended up in Paddington Station - which is how he got the name Paddington. It should be noted that one of the items he carried in his suitcase was a jar of marmalade. Paddington loves marmalade as much as Winnie-the-Pooh loves honey.
And so when speaking of marmalade, you can't help but think of Paddington. Or at least I can't.
Paddington Bear's official website
I got all my Paddington information from www.paddingtonbear.com, which is the Official Paddington Bear website. You can find his full biography there, as well as a description of all the other family and friends of Paddington - including Mr Gruber, a close friend who Paddington often has 'elevenses' with.
