Spam, Spam, and More Spam
As we drove south through Minnesota on Monday, our daughter-in-law noticed a funny billboard for the Spam Museum in Austin: “Spam Museum—Where Hawaiians Go on Vacation.” Though we don’t actually eat Spam, she and I thought it would be a fun stop. Together we convinced Ray and John that it was worth our time even though we were not very far along on our eight-hour drive. They were both good sports.
I love stories about families who work together (I know you are surprised) and was glad to learn about the Hormel family. German mother Susanna Hormel taught her son George to do his work well when he was a boy. His job was shining the family shoes. When he concentrated on the fronts of the shoes and left the backs a mess, she told him: “forna est huey und hinter est fuey,” translated “The front is fine, but the back is phooey.” George later wrote that he learned that it was quicker and easier to do the job properly the first time.
In 1891, when in his early thirties, George began Geo. A. Hormel and Co. (now Hormel Foods Corporation). He was following in the footsteps of Susanna’s family, who had immigrated to America in 1852. Her father’s family had been in the meat packing business in Germany. Soon after George started the company, his own father and four brothers came to work with him.
George grew his business well and by the end of World War I, about one-third of his company’s sales were exports. In 1926 Hormel introduced the world’s first canned ham. The next year George retired from operating Hormel and passed the leadership down to his son Jay C. Hormel.
Under Jay C.’s leadership, the company introduced Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Hormel Chili in 1935. In 1937 they began to sell Spam.
Spam became an important source of ready-to-eat food for American soldiers during World War II. Of course, Spam, Spam, and more Spam got pretty old and even General Eisenhower complained. The museum has a letter from former President Eisenhower from 1966 in which he apologized for his disparaging remarks—how like that conscientious man.
Ray liked how Hormel Foods recognizes that Spam is funny and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
I understand that the museum has been redone since we were there, so I don’t know what it is like now. Back then though, the museum was just plain fun. We dressed up like Hormel factory workers. John tried his hand at working on the assembly line, stuffing “Spam” into cans, putting on the lid, and adding a label.
Henry gave it a try, too.
Product museums teach children and adults what can happen when people combine an idea with hard work. We have enjoyed several over the years. It’s almost like being on the set of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” and looking into “Picture, Picture.”
It was a truckload of fun, it was even free!
He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the labor of man,
So that he may bring forth food from the earth,
Psalm 104:14, NASB