Pork Roll and Scrapple

I'm on the road again (insert Willie Nelson here).

This time in Jersey. Everytime I go to a newish city and have some time on my hands, I like to try out some of the local stuff...cuban food in Florida, cornholing in Ohio (no, not that kind...), blues in St. Louis.

Here in Red Bank, I went to a breakfast meeting with some co-workers and asked about the local "flavor". Do NOT under any circumstances do this. Breakfast food, if good, spreads quickly to the rest of the nation.

On the menu were two "new to me" items - Pork Rolls and Scrapple. Of course I tried both.
A Pork Roll is to canadian bacon what velvetta is to chedder - salty, squishy, and processed.
And scrapple?

Learning that it was made from "pig parts" just lead me to believe it was hot-dogesque. When the side dish arrives, I see a grayish slab, about the size of an 8 oz. steak. Cutting through it was like slicing jello...and "texture issues" doesn't even being to describe the gastric experience. Think meat "flavored" porriage that looks like reconsititued cigarette ashes. Two cups of coffee, a glass of orange juice, and more pork roll later, I can still taste it. The "pig parts" in a hot dog are apparently the premium selection - what's left becomes scrapple. How this EVER made it to a menu and didn't remain someone's dirtly little secret is beyond me.

Local flavor sampled and discarded. On the flip side, I'm seeing TONS of snow (made some snow angels in the parking lot - got some funny looks while at it), and got a new mustang convertable for my rental car. Fun car - looking forward to trying one again when it is above 40 degrees!