6 kilo's of Mail-Interviews

Today my order of books from LuLu arrived. 6 kilo's of Mail-Interviews. As you can see the books are quite thick. Some are 360+ pages thick. If you are interested, you can order one or all of them yourself at: http://stores.lulu.com/iuoma The copies that arrived in Breda now are for the TAM-Archive itself. The selling of the books goes quite well. About 50 are already sold and are now in some Mail-Art collections for sure. I am working on a new book as well. Details will follow when the time is right.

TAM-Films

TAM 3835 to Rio de Janeiro

The TAM TAM collection

Tim TAMS

WHAT IS A TIM TAM?
Tim Tams are Australia’s favourite chocolate biscuit (chocolate coated Cookie with a creamy center).


HOW POPULAR ARE TIM TAMS IN AUSTRALIA?
Arnott's reports that "Around 30 million packs are sold each year - that’s nearly 300 million biscuits, or two packs for every Australian." That's a lot of Tim Tams! Yes, they're pretty popular with those Aussies!


HISTORY
Tim Tams were first launched in 1963. They were named after a horse that ran in the Kentucky Derby in 1958. A member of the Arnott family, Ross Arnott, attended the race day and decided ‘Tim Tam’ was the perfect name for the new biscuit he was about to launch. Since the launch of the Original Tim Tam biscuit Arnott's have now made eight different flavoured Tim Tams: Original, Chewy Caramel, Mocha, Double Coat and Classic Dark Chocolate, Special Edition Tim Tam Hazelnut, Limited Edition White Chocolate and new Special Edition Chewy Choc Fudge.

(Source: www.arnotts.com)


WHAT DO TIM TAMS TASTE LIKE?
Tim Tams were developed so that the chocolate has a slight hint of caramel in it. Where as the cream in the center is more a vanilla, butter and chocolate flavor. Whatever the combination, it works well and tastes great.


INGREDIENTS (Tim Tam Original)
Milk chocolate (38%)(sugar, milk solids, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifiers (e322: soy, e476), flavouring), wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, golden syrup, colours (e102, e110, e129, e133, e150), milk solids, cocoa, salt, raising agent(e500), emulsifier (e322: soy) and flavouring. May contain traces of peanut, other nut, egg or seed.


NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER BISCUIT (Tim Tam Original)
Energy 393kJ, Protein 1.0g, Fat 4.9g (Saturated 2.4g), Carbohydrate 11.3g (Sugars 8.2g), Sodium 31mg.


SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Australian Desserts: Try these yummy Tim Tam recipes...

NAKED
Eat an icy-cold Tim Tam all on its lonesome.

TIM TAM HEAVEN
Crush 3 Tim Tams up into a dessert bowl, pour 1 shot glass of Port or Muskat over them, top with sweetened cream and chocolate sprinkles.

TIM TAMS WITH BERRIES & ICECREAM
Tim Tams served with strawberry and vanilla icecream sprinkled with some fresh berries.

TIM TAM CHEESECAKE
Make your favourite cheese cake however use crushed Tim Tam biscuits and butter to make the crust.

TIM TAM SLAM
Also known as the TIM TAM Suck or TIM TAM Bomb. Grab a Tim Tam and a warm drink (coffee, milo or tea). Nibble both ends off the biscuit and use it as a straw for your drink. When its saturated, quickly SLAM it in your gob before it falls apart. It can get kinda messy, but who cares when it tastes that GOOD!

TIM TAM CHOCOLATE SUNDAE
Twiggy at www.geocities.com recommends the "Tim Tam Sundae". Get 4 Tim Tam Chocolate Biscuits (roughly chopped), add extra creamy Ice Cream, then 2 tablespoons Hot Fudge Chocolate and sprinkle on some Toppings to taste. Look at their photo of the final product (www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/2436/timtams/recipies.html):


TIM TAM CHEWY CARAMEL EXPLOSION
At Arnotts (www.arnotts.com) they suggest the Chewy Tim Tam Caramel Explosion. Get 1 pack Chewy Caramel Tim Tams roughly chopped, 8 generous scoops Vanilla Ice-cream & 8 tbs Caramel Topping with Chocolate sprinkles to garnish. Here's what they created:


TIM TAM THICKSHAKE
The Editors at www.coffeebreak.com.au recommend the "Tim Tam Thickshake". Mix a packet of Tim Tams, 8 scoops of vanilla icecream & 400ml milk in a blender. Rich, thick and full of chocolate. Hmmm. They even photographed their yummy creation (see their picture below).


TIM TAM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
At www.coffeebreak.com.au they also have this awesome recipe for "Tim Tam Chocolate Mousse". Get 2 packets Instant Chocolate Mousse (Mocha flavour works well), 1 packet Arnott's Tim Tam biscuits and 2 tbs Baileys. Method: Make up Chocolate Mousse according to packet details. Place the Tim Tams into a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Stir into mousse mix, and add Baileys. Stir gently. Allow to chill (as per mousse packet details). Then serve!

TIM TAM FONDUE
I haven't been able to find a Tim Tam Fondue recipe yet, but I'm sure it must exist. Hmmm, just imagine dipping fresh strawberries, pineapple pieces, berries, banana and mango into a warm thick Tim Tam sauce. If anyone finds or creates this recipe please email it to me with a picture so I can load it here.

TIM TAM MARTINI
Make the Tim Tam Thickshake (above) but add nip of Baileys (Irish Cream Liquor), Frangelico (Hazelnut Liquor), Kahlua (Coffee Liquor) or Creme de Menth (Mint Liquor) to it.


Do you have any other good Tim Tam Recipes? Let us know.


RELATED AUSSIE SLANG
Bikkie - Short for Biscuit (Cookie)
Tucker - Food
Munchies - Hungry for snack
Nibbles - The food you eat for a snack

TAM in Maine

Arnott's Tim Tam Latte

TAM Airbus

TAM TAM from Manischewitz

No Tam Tams.
It’s true. Manischewitz, which manufactures the bite-size matzos, says it has temporarily stopped making them at its plant in Newark, leaving many Jews puzzled and disappointed, and officials of the kosher food company scrambling to explain what went wrong.
“What we did was put a brand new oven in our Newark facility,” David Rossi, a spokesman for Manischewitz, said on Thursday. “Much higher speeds, all computer-controlled, a state-of-the-art baking line. That was something we were hoping to have up and running well prior to the Passover baking season. Due to some engineering delays, we missed the window.”
Unfortunately, the plant in Newark is the only one in the world that produces Manischewitz matzos and Tam Tam crackers, Mr. Rossi explained, because the company recently consolidated its operations, which were once in two other New Jersey cities, Jersey City and Vineland.
The news was first reported in The New Jersey Jewish News.
In December, Mr. Rossi said, company officials were forced to make a difficult decision: temporarily eliminate some of their products or make less of all them. They went with the former, which included halting production of some less popular products like Passover Thin Tea Matzo, Yolk Free Egg Matzo, White Grape Matzo, Concord Grape Matzo and Spelt Matzo.
“Man-Oh-Manischewitz!” sighed Avi Friede, owner of Kosher Nosh Delicatessen in Glen Rock, N.J., invoking a longtime company slogan. “That’s right, I don’t have any Tam Tams on my shelf.”
Not to worry, Mr. Rossi said. Many other unleavened products will still be available for Passover, which begins the evening of April 19.
And Tam Tams — which were first developed in 1940 and now account for $1 million to $2 million in annual sales — will be back on shelves by late April or early May, he said.
His assurances went only so far.
“It’s very upsetting,” said Diana Leader-Cramer, 24, a research analyst for Merrill Lynch. “I’m very distraught.” She said she would just have to make do with regular old Passover matzo this year.
Mr. Friede said that he used to serve Tam Tams with soup, but stopped a few years ago, either because of rising costs or a shortage, he could not remember which.
Besides, he said, the product had not sold as well in recent years and the younger generation seemed to lack an affinity for it.
“I think that generation has either moved to Florida or passed on,” he said. “My kids, my grandchildren, don’t go for that stuff.”
In Teaneck, N.J., which has a large Orthodox Jewish population, some shoppers said they had noticed the recent shortage and had been scrounging for the crackers.
“My mother found a few up in Rockland County,” said Toni Nayowitz, owner of Judaica House Ltd., a bookstore and trinket shop. “They’re as scarce as hen’s teeth.”
Ms. Nayowitz said her husband, who crumbles plain Tam Tams into his coffee (“his deep, dark secret”), has simply had to do without in recent months.
Eldee Stephens, 28, of Waterbury, Conn., an engineer with I.B.M., said that fortunately, his wife tends to hoard the crackers, so they should have plenty on hand for the foreseeable future.
“The stuff lasts forever,” said Mr. Stephens, who dips his in salsa. “It’s not like matzo can really go stale. At least I can’t tell if it does.”