If you aren’t from New Jersey you already have no idea what I’m talking about. If you are from New Jersey, but not northern New Jersey, then you are angry at me for calling it Taylor Ham instead of Pork Roll. Although I will fight to the death over the proper name of these delectably salty circles of happiness, that is not why I am here. I am here to celebrate the deliciousness of Taylor Ham / Pork Roll regardless of what you want to call it.

Having to live without Taylor Ham here at Wake Forest University has been one of the most difficult situations of my life. Every morning when I wake up I am struck with the painful realization that I will never be able to have my absurdly scrumptious Taylor Ham Egg and Cheese on an Everything Bagel w/ Salt, Pepper, and Ketchup. Back home that’s just a quick THECSPK at your local bagel store and it's hot and ready in under 5 minutes for under 5 dollars.

Taylor ham is delicious wherever you decide to eat it. My Dad would always buy it at the grocery store and cook it up by the pound for me and my seven other siblings to devour during our big Sunday morning breakfasts.

Another delicious place to eat Taylor ham is at one of New Jersey’s many outstanding diners. They always slice it very thinly and cook it on the griddle so it tastes even better. They serve it on a soft roll and the eggs are cooked to perfection. While these options are always delicious, my FAVORITE place to eat Taylor ham is at a bagel shop.

My town has about three different bagel stores, and the towns surrounding us provide me with dozens of more options. My favorite way to eat Taylor ham is the traditional breakfast sandwich way from Summit, New Jersey’s very own Summit Bagel. The Taylor Ham is crispy and melts in your mouth, the eggs are very soft and still runny, and the cheese is melted to perfection.

All of this happiness is smothered in ketchup, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. The blanket of scrumptiousness that holds it all together is a perfectly seasoned and nicely chewy everything bagel. I ate this for breakfast every single day before class during my Senior year of high school; I also gained thirty pounds my Senior year of high school but that’s besides the point.

Taylor ham is the best breakfast meat because it is unique, tasty, and it has the power of bringing people together. Us New Jerseyans may honk our horns, pump our fists, and believe that we deserve North, South, and Central qualifications for our tiny state, but we gave the world the best breakfast meat. Regardless of what you may call it, everyone can agree that Taylor Ham is absolutely delicious.