Every little kid who has been to a factory wants to ride the conveyor. Wombies are no different. Well, maybe a little, but let’s go with it.
One of the features in the SPAM Museum was a conveyor which wound through the entire building with cans of SPAM. Did you know Wombies are great climbers? I caught Bruno as he conveyed over a display, which until that moment had me rapt.
I really did not think he would get into too much trouble and knew he would be back overhead momentarily, so I finished watching the Monty Python rendition of SPAM.
While I was watching, Val caught me.
When I rounded the corner past those clouds, I saw he had a partner in mischief.
Once I got Bruno off the conveyor, I told them they could go to the gift shop and shop whilst they waited for me to visit the parts of the museum I found interesting. Like KSPM, the miniature radio station where SPAM advertisements played from The Burns & Allen Show. In the mock cinema, the Hormel Girls sang in USO shows. In the amphitheatre (shrunken to museum size), recipes from around the world took center stage, surrounded by menus from six countries where five-star restaurants serve dishes with SPAM.
I loved wandering through the WWII displays. 1,745 Hormel employees fought in WWII. 1,695 of their names are etched on a glass display.
The remaining 50 were added to a plaque which hangs beside the memorial. During the war, Jay Hormel, George’s son, signed a letter to each of them and sent them $5 (nearly a day’s wage) for Christmas. By 1944, there were so many letters he apologized for not signing them individually and included a can of SPAM with the $5.
Despite rumors to the contrary, SPAM was not a C ration. It was a B ration. If you are unfamiliar with armed forces feeding classifications, C (combat) rations were canned, individual field units. B rations were unprepared foods used in military mess halls to prepare warm food for soldiers. (From the cartoon, only SPAM and peanuts were not in WWII C rations.)
Hormel did its part stateside by hiring the wives, mothers and sisters of its fighting men. It was forced by rationing to stop canning anything except hams and SPAM to save tin for the munitions and aviation efforts. The concentration of product would carry SPAM to the dinner table over the course of the next 20 years.
Canning went through many changes during this time. During the war, the label was introduced; prior to the war, the label was stenciled onto the cans. The state key was dropped in favor of a pull tab.
Today, 44,000 cans of SPAM roll off of factory lines per hour. More than seven billion (7,000,000,000) cans have sold (as of 2007), and sales are up 20% over 2007, making SPAM recession-proof.
There is no mystery to this meat. All six ingredients are listed on the label:
- Pork with ham meat
- Salt
- Water
- Sugar
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sodium Nitrite
The final two ingredients are respectively a congealing agent and a color preservative. The pork is shoulder cut: not lips and snouts… those are pickled and sent to Asia. The name SPAM was a portmanteau of spiced ham, but to clear the misleading air created by the naming contest winner in 1937, Hormel purports SPAM is an acronym for shoulder pork and ham.
Although classic SPAM delivers the majority (57%) of the recommended daily allowance of sodium at 1,389 mg, a serving is 310 calories, 27 g of fat (10 g of saturated fat- 49% DV), 13 g of protein and 3 g of carbohydrates.
There are 18 different flavors of SPAM to accommodate varied recipes. 40 US state fairs compete for the best recipe of the year. Although Hormel does have a SPAM cookbook (and recipe section of their website), Hawai’i has its own illustrated SPAM cookbook, in two volumes. Hawai’ians may love it (to the jam of 7,000,000 cans per year), but residents of Guam consume more SPAM than any other country: 16 cans per person per year.
I found a ton of historical cooking and meat packing implements of interest, but my rendition of them would have to wait. When I was photographing a scale I found fascinating, I overheard the following conversation:
*Sigh*
A Wombie Momma’s work is never done.
Is it any wonder they tried to bribe me with Sir Can-A-Lot?
Was there a myth dispelled in this post? What do you think would be in a winning SPAM recipe? Can you name any of the 18 flavors?
Hashtags: #SPAM with @Wombie
Thank you for sharing The M3 Blog with hashtags.
If you would like a pair of your very own Wombies, visit Wombania.
See more of our Minnesota SPAM adventure on The M3 Blog & QBG ~ Tilted Tiara.
Binky
/ June 7, 2013That was fascinating. One can never be too educated about SPAM!
That Monty Python sketch is a classic. I still hear those old Spam commercials since I listen to the old radio programs. Spam was a major sponsor of the Burns and Allen Show.
I think the residents of Wombania would put the residents of Guam to shame with their Spam consumption. I’ll have to notify the authorities at Hormel.
If you had brought your truck and trailer up there, you can guess what it would have been packed full of on the return trip.
Binky recently posted..The More You Know
Red
/ June 8, 2013I think I would have needed a bigger truck had they filled up the camper!
Binky
/ June 8, 2013Does U-Haul rent semis?
Binky recently posted..The More You Know
Red
/ June 8, 2013No, but you would be amazed at what I can pack in a 15-foot truck. *grins*
Bearman
/ June 7, 2013A wombie mamma is better than a wamby pamby
Bearman recently posted..Customer Service 5 Star Rating Cartoon
Red
/ June 8, 2013No doubt!
Gail Thornton
/ June 7, 2013The myth dispelled was the fact that SPAM is not mystery meat made of lips, snout, guts, and bones of unnamed animals. My thought about it was something akin to roadkill before, though I love it in small doses. It’s a high quality meat product, and I respect it so much more now. I love Sir Spam-a-Lot and the Wombies’ adventures at the SPAM museum!
Thank you for bringing this rare visit to all of us in the Blogosphere to enjoy, Red!
Gail Thornton recently posted..The Girl in the Iron Lung Giveaway on Goodreads
Red
/ June 8, 2013This was just outright fun. xxx
laurie
/ June 7, 2013I didn’t know spam came in that many different flavors. I just remember having it fried as a kid, now I prefer the canned bacon now, it doesn’t have the aftertaste, of course spam wasn’t that appealing to a little kid.
Red
/ June 8, 2013Little V demanded to go shopping with me this week. She wanted to be sure I got SPAM, classic and bacon, of course. 😉
Carl D'Agostino
/ June 7, 2013cinnamon
Red
/ June 8, 2013Bwahaha! Close.
Prenin
/ June 7, 2013It comes in flavours???? 🙂
I used to live off the stuff at one point because I was so poor it was the only meat I’d get!!! 🙁
These days it makes me feel queasy, but that’s life I guess… 🙁
Love and squishy hugs Wombie Momma! 😉
Prenin.
Prenin recently posted..Friday – My Camera arrives!
RLB
/ June 8, 2013The queasy comes from too much salt and too much grease. We used to eat the plain variety frequently when I was growing up. To avoid consequences, you might drain thin slices on paper towels and drink plenty of spring water to counteract the after effects.
My Gang asked me, “What after effects?!” They’re devotees of salt and grease. But they use potatoes or artisan bread to counteract those elements.
Red
/ June 8, 2013LOL! My troops would probably never notice as well. Anyone who can survive a McDonald’s can survive SPAM.
Binky
/ June 8, 2013…and chocolate and wine gums.
Binky recently posted..The More You Know
Red
/ June 8, 2013Those are always survivable.
Red
/ June 8, 2013Sounds like a preparation issue. The flavors are quite varied. There were even two spoof flavors made.
C. Brown
/ June 7, 2013I cannot name any of the flavors….SPAM to me IS the flavor.
This was enjoyable!!!
C. Brown recently posted..A Method To My Mad (Not Madness-Just Mad)
Red
/ June 8, 2013LOL! I can see where those who eat it to save money would appreciate the addition of spices and other flavors would be a great thing… especially now that some recipes are canned.
El Guapo
/ June 7, 2013I didn’t know about the letters and christmas gifts.
Class act.
El Guapo recently posted..Friday foolishness – Wha??? Edition
Red
/ June 8, 2013I was glad to learn that. It shows a corporate culture I think has been lost today.
MJ Logan
/ June 8, 2013I can name turkey as a flavor, but only because I’m observant 😉
No myths dispelled for me unfortunately, I knew it wasn’t mystery meat. I can’t remember if I like it or not and these days, my cardiologist would probably have a heart attack if he heard I ate it. That’s not to say I wouldn’t try it. Maybe I will. Maybe.
MJ
MJ Logan recently posted..Basic Campfire Building is an Adventure Skill
Red
/ June 8, 2013Check out the “lite” version. It has less sodium and fat than the classic version. Like everything else, portion control is the key; ergo, I do not suggest a can and a fork. 😉
Binky
/ June 8, 2013But that’s the best way to eat it!
Binky recently posted..The More You Know
Red
/ June 8, 2013Fraz can use a fork?
Valentine Logar
/ June 8, 2013It was such a fun trip! You missed the game show apparently (I played three questions and got them right).
I admit it, I don’t like SPAM. But then, I am not really big on pork or ham either which might explain it. Still, the Museum was fun. The contents of SPAM was a shock to me, at least now I know it isn’t mystery meat.
Love the clip!
Valentine Logar recently posted..Flash: Crystal
Red
/ June 8, 2013I adore Monty Python. Other than seeing SPAM in displays beside the vile things my grandfather liked, I had no other impression of SPAM. Considering I love ham, I am guessing it may be something I would actually like. I will let you know how Little V’s recipes go. o.O
Binky
/ June 8, 2013They can’t go bad with Spam!
Binky recently posted..The More You Know