Posted on 12/07/2008 8:07:40 AM PST by vietvet67
In times of trouble the United States has historically turned to a tin of pink processed meat to see it through – and so it is again that sales of Spam are soaring as the recession bites.
They have shot up by more than 10 per cent in the past three months and the Hormel Foods Corporation has had to introduce a double shift at its factory in Austin, Minnesota, seven days a week to keep up with demand.
Spam costs only about $2.40 (£1.65) for a 12-ounce tin and keeps for ever, which earned it the slogan: meat with a pause button. Hungry consumers, desperate to cut back on spending but keen to put meat on the table, have been buying the product that “helped win the Second World War”.
The rise coincides with a record level of Americans using food stamps, the programme that helps the needy to buy food. More than 31.5 million Americans used the stamps in September – up by 17 per cent from a year ago, according to government data.
Spam was invented during the Great Depression by Jay Hormel, the son of the founder of the company. It is a brick of ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, potato starch and a hint of sodium nitrite “to help Spam keep its gorgeous pink color”.
Austin advertises itself as Spam-town and it boasts 13 restaurants with Spam on the menu. Johnny’s Spamarama menu includes eggs benedict with Spam for $7.35.
Employees are working flat out and next door the slaughter house butchers 19,000 pigs a day. “People are realising it’s not that bad a product,” said Dan Johnson, 55, who operates a 70ft (20m) oven in the factory.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
“That’s why I loved it as a kid. Sometimes all we had was bread, butter and sugar. After a week of butter and sugar sandwiches, Spam was a treat.”
I remember that, sometimes having corn bread for supper with nothing else, no meat, no vegetable, no gravy, no butter, that kind of life made you think that spam and vienna sausage were high end treats, and I guess they were.
I avoided the Camp Pendleton mess halls like the plague on spam day, liver day, and SOS day....even if I had to borrow $$, it was off to the EM club to eat.
Doesn't sound all that cheap to me. I just bought 93% lean hamburger for $1.99/lb. Spam at $3.20/lb, you can buy chicken, pork chops and beef roast for that kind of money or even less.
You heard wrong then. Spam for US markets is still produced by Hormel in Austin, Minnesota. Or maybe I missed the sarcasm....:)
seaweed wrap. Fish on!
No, I love it with pork ribs, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and garlic.
I CAN understand why my hubby is repulsed by it.
“pssst: Men are actually allowed in grocery stores.”
Who told you that??????????????
Also I’ve seen a lot of instant noodles in shopping carts lately.
Our family’s fast and cheap food is PB&J.
LOL, My hubby said his brothers and sister would sit at the table all night, try to hide it, and puke.
I think their Dad did it to be mean. Tht was the person he was. He could have made it palatable.
I must admit, my kids would not have eaten this concoction, nor would I have forced them.
Once every few weeks I go get a can of spam out of the cabinet, fry up the spam with a couple of eggs and put between two slices of toast with a little mayonaise .... yummmmmm
Nope. I read last week that grocery store sales are down. Analysts said that was a very bad sign. People were eating down everything in the house before shopping again-—and then cutting out anything that was not absolutely necessary.
Separately I read an article about a man who had gone out to lunch every day at work for years. He recently grabbed a can of Campbell’s soup, took it to work and heated it in the microwave. Came and home and asked the wife to buy a can for every work day that month. The point of the article was that Campbell’s sales were going up, with no sign of stopping.
That is evidence that people are really cutting back on discretionary spending.
People are buying spam again because it it good storage food
You know, I admit you are probably right. I will say it is hard to change my husband’s mind. Very bad feelings are associated with it.;^)
If we had milk, we would pour it over the corn bread and eat it like cereal.
When my Dad got back in 1946, after serving in both theaters, he was haunted by the memories of children digging in the base garbage cans for food. I went through a period where I refused to eat stewed tomatoes or anything that contained them, so I heard the stories a lot from ages 6-9. I think a lot of American soldiers told those same stories. Of course, as spoiled American kids, we rolled our eyes and giggled. I am embarrassed now that I had that reaction.
I hope nothing like that ever happens here and for those who experienced it, I hope it never happens again.
In my case it had nothing to do with economics (although the price was nice), it was instead because of a Food Network Spam challange that we saw on TV a couple of weeks ago. My 18 year old son swears he never has eaten Spam, so I decided to buy some and cook it when he comes home on winter break from college next week.
Fried Spam, yum yum, I can't wait to try it again!!
Fried Spam with mustard sandwiches. Yumm..
We like our fried spam on toast with mayo and a big slice of sweet onion.
I’ll have to try mustard. That sounds good. Honey mustard maybe?
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