Kevin Pilley’s pilgrimage is over.

Monday, October 30, 2000

Kevin Pilley’s pilgrimage is over.

He is returning to Great Britain, presumably a satisfied man.

His life is now complete.

Pilley has been to the birthplace of SPAM.

His life will never be the same again.

"SPAM puts Austin, Minnesota on the map, so to speak," Pilley said. "There are a lot of people in Great Britain, who don’t remember how the product came to Europe during World War II and they want to know where SPAM came from. My article will tell them all about it."

Pilley calls himself a "food historian." His travels around the world have created a niche in travel writing. He has written about noodles in Japan, the vineyards of India and the first pizza parlor and hamburger grill, both in New Haven, Conn.

On a trip to South Africa, he met safari members from Louisiana and discovered Tabasco sauce. That led him to visit the United States and Avery Island, where Tabasco sauce was created.

"It’s just a weird sort of curiosity that leads me around the world to do these sort of stories," Pilley said.

The English comedy group Monty Python whetted his appetite for poking gentle fun at the made-in-America luncheon meat that rescued so many Europeans from hunger in the aftermath of World War II.

He also writes for travel magazines and is somewhat of a SPAM-fanatic himself. He created – with tongue in cheek – a SPAM Appreciation Society with an innocent newspaper article. That occurred in 1987, when Hormel Foods was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the spiced luncheon meat.

Pilley, who lives in South Wales, is a freelance travel writer for The London Financial Times.

According to Jeanne Sheehan, executive director of the Austin Convention/Visitors Bureau, he first contacted the CVB in February about coming to Austin to research a story about the popularity of SPAM luncheon mean at Hormel Foods Corporation.

Sheehan and office manager Chuck Keller went to work to prepare an itinerary for Pilley.

He arrived Thursday and was whisked to Tolly’s Time Out Lounge for dinner with a delegation from the CVB. Dave Tollefson, owner of the popular Austin lounge and supper club, greeted him.

The CVB registered Pilley at an appropriately-named motel for the British journalist’s visit, AmericInn.

On Friday, he went to see Paulette Cummings, Hormel Foods archivist, for an in-depth interview on SPAM’s origins and popularity.

Then, he was interviewed by Sheehan on her Friday morning KAUS AM radio show.

He enjoyed a late breakfast at another popular restaurant where SPAM is featured on the menu, Jerry’s Other Place.

Next, Bruce Patterson met with Pilley at Hormel Foods’ research and development headquarters.

Then, Cindy Samuels, director of the SPAMTOWN USA Festival, told Pilley how the city of Austin formally approved calling itself "SPAMTOWN USA" and recreated its popular summertime celebration to include the Hormel Foods’ SPAM Jam event.

The mayor of SPAMTOWN USA, Bonnie Rietz, plus CVB board members, had lunch with Pilley at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar.

A short side trip to the current Hormel Foods’ SPAM museum at OakPark Mall and a drive by the new museum facilities along North Main Street were part of the itinerary, too.

But SPAM information was what Pilley came here to study and SPAM is what Rich Crane, a Hormel foods International Corporation executive, and Nick Meyer, the SPAM product manager, filled the travel writer with Friday afternoon.

That left Meri Harris, a Hormel Foods public relations specialist, to fill in the gaps before a tour of the company’s flagship plant and a visit with Jeff Nuytton, plant general manager.

The tour concluded with a visit to the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, so-named for the Hormel Foods company president who introduced the world’s most famous luncheon meat and finally dinner at the Old Mill supper club and a final visit with CVB board members Friday night.

The hectic schedule didn’t dull Pilley’s sense of humor as his contagious and frequent laugh during an interview attested.

"If I don’t have a good time, it’s my own fault," he said.

Pilley’s theory about the continued fascination of SPAM around the world is "the sound of the word." He said, "It’s absolutely everywhere you go around the world and when you mention the word ‘SPAM’ people automatically break into a smile.

His favorite SPAM delicacy is fried SPAM and baked beans.

What souvenirs is he taking back to England? "Certainly, this has been a unique opportunity to buy some truly unique souvenirs," he said. "So I bought a SPAM nightie for my wife and one of the newest souvenirs: a SPAM Slammer that announces to all ‘Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,’" he said.

Never to miss an opportunity for a joke, Pilley added, "I’m still waiting for them to bring out an eau de’ SPAM cologne."