SPAM Museum
Blue skies, puffy white clouds, warm winds and away we go to the Spam Museum located in Austin, MN. SPAM is a Hormel product and when you get off the freeway to head for the Museum you pass by the factory. But no factory tours. Probably too blood and gutsy. (When we stopped for gas on the way to Austin there was a semi-trailer full of hogs making a lot of noise. Wonder if they knew where they were headed?)
Here's the Museum entrance. Looks art deco to me.
I don't know what Spammy is doing here but Jim looks pretty happy!
We took about an hour to tour the Museum. It's totally filled with SPAM memorabilia, history, collectibles and unique displays that tell about the product. What is SPAM? SPiced HAm. Probably the reason it's sort of a cult food is that in WWII Hormel sent millions of cans of SPAM to feed the troops and to pass out as aid to war torn countries. Although tin to make cans was rationed, Hormel was exempt because they were making a vital product.
Our family has "fond" memories of SPAM:) I used to do the traditional SPAM stuck with cloves with a pineapple/brown sugar glaze, baked for 30 minutes. Or how about sliced SPAM and pineapple rings on the grill? We had some samples at the Museum that were pretty tasty.
Although there are no factory tours Hormel has been given many awards for the cleanliness of their plant. The Hormel product line is quite large now including House of Tsang Asian sauces and Carapelli Olive Oil, both of which we use. I was amazed at the product line.
I think Austin must be a factory town, not much else there. The downtown, like many we see, has lots of empty buildings and many little specialty stores. We had a sandwich in The Coffee Shop, an eclectic little place with cozy tables and quiet music. Then we stopped at the HyVee to pick up a few groceries.
And it all started when "this little piggy went to market."
And now I can say, "Been there, done that!"