Posted on 02/12/2009 4:24:55 PM PST by dennisw
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
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.
Hormel declined to cooperate with this article, but several of its workers were interviewed here recently with the help of their union, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 9. Slumped in chairs at the union hall after making 149,950 cans of Spam on the day shift, several workers said they been through boom times before — but nothing like this.
Spam “seems to do well when hard times hit,” said Dan Bartel, business agent for the union local. “We’ll probably see Spam lines instead of soup lines.”
Even as consumers are cutting back on all sorts of goods, Spam is among a select group of thrifty grocery items that are selling steadily.
Pancake mixes and instant potatoes are booming. So are vitamins, fruit and vegetable preservatives and beer, according to data from October compiled by Information Resources, a market research firm.
“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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Well, that's the idea. It's not a T-Bone, Ribeye, or NY Strip.
my 79 year old mother who already lived through the great depression was shopping with me the other day and started loading her cart up with “spam”
I looked at her questioningly and she answered “its for the depression”
um hmmm!
“You must have been rich.”
I wouldn’t call it rich but we were well off.
We didn’t have to scrimp on anything.
I’m not really surprised about this demonstration of affection for Spam. It leaves me suffused in a warm glow. Thanks to all for your recipes, I salivate.
LOL—Yes, you’re right about that. Those things sluice through so fast it is always wise to be sure a rest room is—as my proctologist says—within easy reach.
Thanks for the recipe. I think I’ll try it.
My mother used to send me to school every day with a Spam sandwich with mayo. One morning we were out of mayo so she buttered the bread instead. The taste combination was so vile I remember being mad at her for the remainder of the day and complaining to her that night. I haven’t been able to eat spam since and that was about 1950.
Wow, I didn’t know you could use duct tape with Spam.
That is electrical tape, silly.
Thanks! I’ll try it!
I was waiting for this. I can’t believe it took 23 posts to get there.
I cut my finger the other day and it was bloody and wrapped it in duct tape same as that sushi! Is that stuff sushi?
Did you know that duct tape is now made with an anti-bacterial adhesive!
I've eaten this hybrid sausage. Venison is always dry and lacking fat so you make a sausage that is 50% pork otherwise it is inedible except to space aliens
That’s seaweed, not duct tape wrapped around the sushi.
Duct tape is good for lots of things.
That rooks dericious.
Venison is dry and inedible if the cook mistreats the meat. In sausage making, there are several ways of producing a moist and juicy sausage with less than 10% fat - and that’s less than extra lean hamburger in the stores.
That’s easy for you to say because you are -— the man with the plan
Love Spam, take a chunk, push in a few garlic cloves, wrap it in bacon and bake it at 375 for 35 minutes.
Mmmmmm......
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