Than TibbettsThe New York Times gave a shout-out of sorts to Spam — the much-maligned meat product made by Austin-based Hormel Foods — along with several humorous, half-hearted attempts at endorsing the product as the great supper savior during tough times.
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.
…
“People are realizing it’s not that bad a product,” said Dan Johnson, 55, who operates a 70-foot-high Spam oven.
… and …
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.”
And in case you were wondering what former Minnesota congressmen do with their time, the Times ran into Gil Gutknecht in the Spam Museum’s gift shop, 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.
Perhaps the only positive economic indicator in the story is that the New York Times can still afford to dispatch a stringer to camp out in the canned goods aisle at Cleveland Wal-Mart for 63 words of Average Joe’s James’ analysis.
So, has the economic slowdown led you to start eating more ‘food’ that resembles other food? Feel free to share a favorite Spam recipe in the comments.
