The Pilgrimage to SPAM

SPAM Museum?? Really?? In a rural town in SE Minnesota also! But....in Austin, Minnesota, you'll find the SPAM Museum.

So....as we got out of our coach, the people next to us, getting out of their car, remarked, "Making the pilgrimage to SPAM eh?" We grinned, said "Yes" and went in.

If you didn't know....SPAM is made from pork, hence the pigs in the foreground.

What a cool place! SPAM cans, history, exhibits, and someone walking around with Bacon SPAM samples ! Even a SPAM Train travelling above.

How it's made....we always wondered....even though we ate it anyway.

After they combine all the ingredients, they seal the cans and then cook them in a large oven for 3 hours....in the can! Then they cool them, label them and ship them off to your local store. The factory, one of four (?) in the world is outside of town.

For all you Monty Python fans!

Kim is almost 20 cans tall.

Here's the SPAM Train above with every type of SPAM made

Hormel started, years ago, putting hams in cans....canned ham...remember?

SPAM musical instruments

"Life with Father is a lot more fun since we found SPAM". Too funny.

"I see a lot more of my wife since she found SPAM" Interesting ad campaign.

Here's all the SPAM varieties. Turns out they make a few of these only for the foreign markets, like the Philippines, South America, Japan.

SPAM sent millions of cans to the troops in WWII.

SPAM is owned by Hormel who used to be in the meat packing business.

Some of the original Hormel products from way back.

You can make your own SPAM can here and time it to see how fast you need to be. Obviously, this is Kim having a go at it.

Ok, we all have wondered: How SPAM got its name. Turns out the owner's son came up with the product and here's how the name came about.

Some of Hormel Foods' brands that they own.

...and then there's the Gift Shop. Anything you could want with SPAM on it.

You can buy all the varieties here....which we did !

And we bought some souvenirs!

You should see people's reactions when they see me in my SPAM gear!

They have SPAM singles and even SPAM Lite. We bought one of each and gobbled them down in the coach afterwards. Don't go here hungry. Katie loves SPAM....surprise, surprise.

Speaking of Katie....

She likes to keep me company when I do the blogs...even working the keyboard.

Katie says, "Hi fans ! Aren't I cute?"

Fun tourist stop on our way to Minneapolis.

Steve/Kim/Katie


Oh, if you're tired of these blog entries, please let me know and I'll take you off the list.