Jersey Breakfast

Welcome to the Jersey Breakfast. And welcome to another rant. I briefly mentioned this before, and now it's time. To my fellow Jerseyans, I have something to tell you. Something that may come as a shock to you. Something that will make you run and hide and scream and kick. Something so sinister...I can't even begin to describe it. But I will try.

Where do I start? I guess I just need to come out and say it. The outside world, beyond the Skylands, beyond the Shore, beyond whatever lies south of Great Adventure..............they do not know what food is. They grow food, they cook food, they eat food....but they don't know FOOD.

I'm an outcast. A freak. No one understands why I would eat a buttered roll for breakfast. And no, you can't buy a buttered roll here. There are no real deli's. No one knows why I would transport 8 stromboli over 500 miles, just so I could freeze them and have them whenever I want. They don't believe me when I say I asked my best friend to overnight me a sub (aka sandwich, hero, hoagie). By the way ACA, I'm still waiting for it.... They think I'm picky when I blankly stare at what they call a 'pizza'. I get horrified looks when I eat sushi at work. Lox is probably considered a disease. 'Good Appetizers' are pickles and olives, served at almost every meal. I could go on and on and on and on. And on.

But one more: No one knows what taylor ham is. *GASP* It appears that outside the boundaries of New Jersey, taylor ham is extremely rare. People, you must try this. But I strongly recommend eating this no more then once a month, otherwise you heart might just explode, or implode, or something else bad.

this picture almost makes taylor ham
look classy...don't be mistaken.
it's a dirty, dirty whore.

I never knew all that much about taylor ham. All I knew was that 1) it's soooo bad 2) it's soooo good 3) it will help you gain weight, a lot of it 4) i'm pretty sure it's deadly 5) i'll eat it anyway.

But I had questions. Why does no one else know about this? What is it? Why is it so good on a breakfast sandwich? Why is it addicting? Why? Why? Why?

These questions needed to be answered. So I went to a reliable source. wikipedia.
Here's what I found:
Also known as a pork roll, taylor ham, a type of sausage like meat product was created in the 19th century by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey. In 1910 it was described as "a food article made of pork, packed in a cylindrical cotton sack or bag in such form that it could be quickly prepared for cooking by slicing without removal from the bag." This product is typically eaten sliced and pan fried, cutting a 3/4 inch slice from the outer edge towards the center preventing the meat from curling while cooking. Known as the Jersey Breakfast, the Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich is a staple of many delis, diners, and bakeries in New Jersey.

I prefer my taylor ham thinly sliced on a bagel with a fried egg, cheese, and mustard. (In the picture, I ate it on my homemade biscuit). Then I call out of work sick and lay on the couch all day.

If you go to New Jersey, please go to a deli and order a sub, eat some pizza, eat a buttered roll, go to a diner, and order a Jersey Breakfast. You'll be glad you did. Or you can just come over and help me eat the 2 lbs of taylor ham in my freezer.

I should just change the name of this blog to "Kacey's Artery Clogging Heart Attack Inducing Food Blog". I don't know why I've been posting such disgustingly deliciously evil foods, I'm sorry. Please know that I don't eat this badly, I actually do eat lots of veggies and fruits and other healthy things. I really do. It's just...the bad stuff is much more fun to show you.

Now...go forth and eat. Then call your cardiologist.

***you have read this blog at your own risk***