Spam-A-Lot ...The Eating Kind!

No, were not writing to advocate eating the popular Broadway musical.

Andrew Martin, in today's NYT, has an engaging article on Spam, the kind from the Hormel Company, up in Austin, Minnesota.



Seems, while the crashing economy is bad for Wall Street, people with stocks and 401K's, mortgages, it's Boom Time for the makers of Spam.

Almost unlimited overtime, a work schedule with only Thanksgiving and Christmas off, which goes to produce "149,950 cans of Spam on the day shift".

That be some serious amounts of Spam.

Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More

Spam, a gelatinous 12-ounce rectangle of spiced ham and pork, may be among the world’s most maligned foods, dismissed as inedible by food elites and skewered by comedians who have offered smart-alecky theories on its name (one G-rated example: Something Posing As Meat).

Because it is vacuum-sealed in a can and does not require refrigeration, Spam can last for years. Hormel says “it’s like meat with a pause button.”

Invented during the Great Depression by Jay Hormel, the son of the company’s founder, Spam is a combination of ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, potato starch and a “hint” of sodium nitrate “to help Spam keep its gorgeous pink color,” according to Hormel’s Web site for the product.

“There are all kinds of people who have an emotional connection to Spam,” said Gil Gutknecht Jr., the former Minnesota congressman, who was in the gift shop at the Spam Museum buying a Spam tie, sweatshirt and earrings. Mr. Gutknecht recalled that he once served as a judge in a Spam recipe contest.

“The best thing was Spam brownies,” he said, with more or less a straight face.

OMG!

I just can conceive using Spam as an ingredient for some other food item.

No ... No ... That does not work for me.

Check it out - Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More


And remember, it is not to be confused with "Green Eggs and Ham", which you may like, in bog, covered with fog, sitting on a log, guarded by a dog, reading this blog.

And, speaking of Monty Python, we would be remiss without posting this, as well;

Monty Python - Spam