THC, SPK...

if you're not from jersey, and by jersey, i mean north jersey, you probably have no idea what 'thc, spk' means. during the two times in my life that i have moved away from new jersey, to rhode island and north carolina, thc is what i missed the most. and for all you secret agents lurking around my blog, i'm not talking about tetrahydrocannabinol (the drug in marijuana), i'm talking about TAYLOR HAM, EGG & CHEESE!

the spk (salt, pepper, ketchup) is sometimes assumed, depending on where you are ordering it from. i often remember sneaking out of high school at lunch to go to the olde towne deli to cop one of the most delicious sandwiches ever. or often taking a "short cut" to the deli in lake reality (miles out of the way) on the way to school to enjoy this delicious breakfast treat. it's a staple in jersey breakfast joints and our beloved diners. with or without the egg, it's still a thc.

in the 51st state of south jersey the pineys call it 'pork roll.' for the record, it's taylor ham, get it right. it's served on another jersey breakfast staple, the 'hard roll.' like a kaiser roll, but not. on those days when money is tight, you can usually score a 'buttered roll' and a coffee for a buck at the most DIVINE of places.

i've found it difficult, if not impossible to score taylor ham outside of jersey. most people have never even heard of it before. perhaps it's because it was invented in new jersey, by john taylor, in trenton. my friend electa out in arizona can get it, for somewhere around $560/lb. UNACCEPTABLE. i'll never live in arizona. in north carolina you can buy dried up slices in a box, hidden behind the pickled herring in the dairy section. in rhode island, if you even bother asking for it in the store, you're told that you're 'wicked retarded.'

there's something special to be said about a meat that's labeled 'tangy.' out of jersey? order some HERE.

EXPERIENCE+CHANGE=2008