AUSTIN, Minn. — The economy is in tatters and, for millions of people, the future is uncertain. But for some employees at the Hormel Foods Corporation plant here, times have never been better. They are working at a furious pace and piling up all the overtime they want. The workers make Spam, perhaps the emblematic hard-times food in the American pantry.
Through war and recession, Americans have turned to the glistening canned product from Hormel as a way to save money while still putting something that resembles meat on the table. Now, in a sign of the times, it is happening again, and Hormel is cranking out as much Spam as its workers can produce. In a factory that abuts Interstate 90, two shifts of workers have been making Spam seven days a week since July, and they have been told that the relentless work schedule will continue indefinitely. 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).
But these days, consumers are rediscovering relatively cheap foods, Spam among them. A 12-ounce can of Spam, marketed as “Crazy Tasty,” costs about $2.40. “People are realizing it’s not that bad a product,” said Dan Johnson, 55, who operates a 70-foot-high Spam oven. “We’ve seen a double-digit increase in the sale of rice and beans,” said Teena Massingill, spokeswoman for the Safeway grocery chain, in an e-mail message. “They’re real belly fillers.” Kraft Foods said recently that some of its value-oriented products like macaroni and cheese, Jell-O and Kool-Aid were experiencing robust growth. And sales are still growing, if not booming, for Velveeta, a Kraft product that bears the same passing resemblance to cheese as Spam bears to ham.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Italian Style spaghetti were main staples for me as a college student surviving (barely) on the Veterans GI Bill… but Spam? Sorry, no can do. BTW do they still serve this crap in the military? And now, for something completely different…
Spam (low sodium) & Velveeta sandwich. Mmmm.
In Hawaii, it never went out of style. Bad economy or good, the Hawaiians love their spam.
“12-ounce rectangle of spiced ham and pork” last I checked ham was pork. 2.49 for roughly one pound I can pick up pork loin for 1.18 lb think I will stick with that. People who think that processed foods are cheaper don’t know how to shop. Although spam cooked almost black in a cast iron skillet with american cheese on white bread with mayo brings back good memories. Think I will take some to deer camp this week.
I hope Dvorak doesn’t starve in this bad economy. After all, he gets no Spam.
Bah-doom-CH!
Well done, Esteban.
I would invest into the Service industry…
YOU ALWAYS need someone to clean your toilets..mop the floors..Empty the garbage, make the beds..
you cant do without, sheets, pillow cases, a warm home..
My son, 16, loves Spam. I think it is certainly as good as canned soup for dinner. And as my father, (who lived through the Depression) always said, “If you’re hungry, you will eat it”. I always have several cans on hand in the cupboard, as well as canned tuna. Snobs.
#6 – Jay Benson II
>>McCullough does not know much about Spam.
For once, I agree with you. Spam is a fine product, the Spam museum is a fine day trip if you’re in the area, and the breakfast burrito made with Spam CAN NOT BE BEAT. I made some for a group of alleged Spam-haters without telling them what was in it, and they loved ’em. Great memorabilia at the Spam museum, too.
Recently saw that Spam had branched out into flavored versions and, since I’d not had it since the glorious days of my military service during VietNam. You know what? It wasn’t as bad as I remembered. It was worse…
There’s still a lot of mystery in that odd can.
Which brings up another question: What the hell is in that little “potted” meat can?
O SPAM! O glorious, gelatinous mass!
Let heaven and earth resound with thy praise!
Marbled compote of nose, lips, and ass,
Fried, baked, or raw, served with mayonnaise.
Jonathan Black cannot squelch thy appeal,
Though cubical carcass decay and congeal.
Disturbing haiku by this foul man abounds;
Still, sputtering SPAM is the sweetest of sounds.
Eat it today, or wait till next year–
It’s prepared with calcium propionate.
The process of spoilage this serves to abate,
Though effects on the diner remain most unclear.
John Cho, and Booda, and Fishel agree:
SPAM’s appeal, the Eternal Mystery.
More sonnets (and plenty of haikus) proclaiming the glory of Spam at
http://web.mit.edu/jync/www/spam/
English muffin, spread mustard then salt and pepper. Grate mozzerilla and spam with cheese grater then mix together and pile on top of english muffin.
Then bake at 350 until the cheese melts and is a bit crisp. Simple.. cheap and filling, and it doesn’t taste all that bad… sometimes I add green olive slices and sauteed mushrooms.
Dvorak.org/blog has SPAM!!!
My dad got excited in Hawaii because McDonalds has it on their menu there. He eats it with breakfast alot. I finally tried it and it really is not bad at all.
The thing about spam is you can keep in in the cupboard rather than in the frig. Buy it now and eat it a year later.
You can get lean white meat.
If pork is the other white meat Spam is the dark side of pork.
I remember (sometimes) liking Spam as a kid. Watch out for Treet, though.
SPAM – Tastiest 20-year can of meat this side of the apocolypse. I still like it even though…
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1472/2
Ha! All you spam lovers are killing yourselves, as for the guys that work in the spam factory they will contract rare unknown diseases like so many of the other cases that have been reported of pork processing plant workers. Pigs eat their own shit, over and over. Eating that stuff is just disgusting and I’ll stick to proper food when it comes to feeding my kids.
“Bloody Vikings.”
Which takes on much more significance when you realize that SPAM is manufactured in Minnesota, which is full of Scandinavians. “You Betcha!”
One More Comment to McCollough:
Don’t be dissin’ Velveeta. It’s the best “cheese” to put on a Cheeseburger, or to make Macaroni and cheese.
Spam and Velveeta are great for sandwiches, but it really requires Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip to make it perfection.
Any inferior product will pick up sales. This is the nature of price elasticity. Food is a product where the price dictates much of the consumption. There should also be a downturn on luxury items. Are there any stories of plummeting sales of high end cheese? Brie is down!
# 22 QB said, “Spam and Velveeta are great for sandwiches, but it really requires Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip to make it perfection.”
Oh, yes. Correct.
Spam fried rice is very good!
The Bush “Legacy” – Two Spams in every pot, and an-out of gas Hummer in every garage !!!
Yeah, when the REPUKES ARE DONE ***STEALING IN ALL DIRECTIONS***, America will have VERY LITTLE ECONOMY LEFT, AND TENS OF MILLIONS UN-EMPLOYED !!!
“Prosperity for the Repukes, and POVERTY FOR EVERYONE ELSE!!!”
Spam is cheap? Not in my neck of the woods. I can do better with real meat than a $3+ can of spam that won’t even feed a family of four (we’re a family of five).
# 22 QB said, “Spam and Velveeta are great for sandwiches, but it really requires Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip to make it perfection.”
Wow, the TRIUMPH OF CORPORATE ***MANUFACTURED FOOD*** !!! Is there any REAL FOOD in there ???
Europeans still LOVE their dear old SPAM…of course, they were all starving after WW II and ANY substantial, in-quantity, food product was a God send.
I remember eating fried SPAM sandwiches with mustard at my grandmother’s…with TANG to wash it down. YUM! Of course, I used to eat sardines…just proves a kid will eat ANY THING.
The term for a product that sells better in a bad economy, or more accurately has declining demand as income increases, is inferior good.
As an interesting aside, people also have fewer children as their income rises (not individuals, but taken as a whole, wealthier people average fewer children than less wealthy people). So, the question comes up whether children, like spam, are inferior goods.
This is not an original thought on my part. And, yes, I realize children aren’t truly goods. Otherwise though, they do seem to fit the model for inferior goods.
#4 – Post of the year. You are the winner!