I (heart) Spam
November 18th, 2008 by CatWe're all hurting from these tough economic times.
Unless you're the manufacturer of Spam, according to a recent New York Times article. This Hawai'i staple is among a select group of thrifty grocery items — including pancake mixes and instant potatoes — that are selling steadily.
Yes, Hormel Foods Sales is doing just fine with its more-popular-than-ever canned meat product.
In 1937 the first can of Spam luncheon meat was produced in Austin, Minn. Since then more than 122 million cans of Spam are sold worldwide each year, according to the company, with 90 million in the U.S. alone. (The company equates that to three cans every second.)
Hawai'i has the highest consumption per capita of Spam, and the company even makes note of Spam musubis on its corporate Web site.
So here, in honor of this patriotic food product, are some interesting facts about our favorite food item:
• Spam Classic is made of just a few simple ingredients. Ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, a little potato starch, and a mere hint of sodium nitrite to help Spam keep its color. Nothing mysterious.
• There are several known Spam factories around the world. Austin, Minn. and Fremont, Neb. supply Spam to all of North and South America and Australia. The rest of the world gets their Spam from Denmark, the Philippines or South Korea.
• According to Hormel, in a perfect situation, Spam could last forever. As long as no air gets into the can, the vacuum sealed meat inside will be as good and safe to eat as the day it was made.
• The name — Spam — came from a guy named Ken. Jay Hormel, who invented Spam, held a contest to help find a name for this canned meat product. Ken offered up the name "Spam" and won $100.
Got a Spam memory to share?
November 18th, 2008 at 5:20 am
I eat Spam at least once sometimes twice a week....with eggs for breakfast or musubi for lunch. I have to eat the low sodium kind now because of high BP but I'll probably eat it 'til the day I die.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:22 am
One should make the effort, and the trip to "Mecca" and see the Spam Museum in Austin, Minn. It's fabulous to see the huge map of the world, and see Hawaii represented on that map. About once a week, a tour bus full of Hawaii people pulls up and tours the place.
http://www.spam.com/museum/museum_explore.aspx
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2126
They go into the history of Spam, how it's made, and it's impact on world history. Consider that Spam put meat on the table in Europe in WWII, so much so that Eisenhower wrote a letter to the president of Hormel about their suport of the war effort.
http://www.americainwwii.com/stories/spamagain.html
You can see a video by Sam Choy on how to prepare a Spam Musubi -- one of four videos from featured world-wide chefs preparing Spam dishes. We know that a Spam musubi is Hawaii's version of an MRE. In the Spam Theater, you can see clips of the annual national Spam celebration in Austin. And, you can buy a Spam T-shirt in the museum store. Spam to the max!
November 18th, 2008 at 5:45 am
hi cat, has sunny had spam yet?
November 18th, 2008 at 5:48 am
i think the most economic meals during these time are,pasta,saimin,spam,tuna,sprouts,and a cucumber.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Love Spam but rarely eat it...bad meat and all. It's like bacon, vienna sausage, dripping kalua pork, lau lau and roast pork...ono stuff but bad meat. It's a love-hate relationship that I can't get over. I should stop eating it permanently but need a fix every now and then...is there a Spam Anonymous out there?
I grew up on Spam. We used to make a Spam sandwich mix like tuna mix. Chop up Spam straight from can and mix with mayonnaise and onions. Stir fry Spam with any kine vegetables makes an excellent dish and eat with hot rice...ono! Whoever invented Spam musubi? That person should be recognized and be immortalized in the annals of Hawaiian history. I see a can of Spam on the shelf just waiting to be eaten....arrrgh.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:25 am
CAT,
I am sure you heard about the Shane Victorino issue with the folks who advocate no cruelty to animals. His love of Spam spawned some controversy.
When I lived alone, one of my favorite things to make was the "poor man's ham". Took a block of SPAM, made some cross hatch marks on the top, put some clove studs in the cross hatch, then covered with crushed pineapple or fruit jelly/jam. Cook in oven...or toaster oven till slightly brown or sugar is caramelized. Slice and serve. Cooking for one would not make sense to purchase a Farmer John Ham. If any left overs, cook Spam with eggs the next morning.
Ever had SPAM tempura???
November 18th, 2008 at 6:45 am
People here in AR look at me weird when I say I eat Spam. I once brought spam stuffed mushrooms to a Christmas party and didn't tell anyone it had Spam in it. The whole tray was gone in 10 minutes! Heehee...
November 18th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Good Morning Cat,
Is this spam week or what? Shauna and Kim blogged about spam too. I have a anti-spam program installed so no spamming on my computer...LOL. All kidding aside, who doesn't like spam, there's always spam in our food pantry, lots of it. My wife likes to stir fry bittermelon, spam with oyster sauce and shoyu. yummy...
November 18th, 2008 at 7:05 am
I went to Okinawa recently and they also love Spam. Maybe even more than us. I went to the grocery store in Chatan and was looking at all of those gift sets for snacks
I came across a boxed gift set that had 3 cans of Spam, 3 half cans of Spam and 4 small cans of corned beef hash (all Hormel). It was 2880 Yen! $28 for Spam in a gift box?!?!?! Gotta love them Japanese to package almost anything in a gift box. What made it more unreal was that they only had a few boxes left.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:13 am
is it true that spam-pork products, is really pig lips? or is that an urban tail?
November 18th, 2008 at 7:14 am
"This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 2:20 am"
Wow Cat. When do you sleep?
November 18th, 2008 at 7:21 am
I'm not a big spam fan but I don't hate it either. On the travel channel I saw an episode of Bizzare Foods with Anthony Zimmern. He goes all over the world trying all types of food like rotten fermented meat. He did a show in Hawaii and they visited a restaurant on Maui that specialized in spam dishes. He confessed that there are 2 food items he can't stomach, one was walnuts and the other was spam (he comes from Minnesota). He tried the spam musubi but gave most of the other dishes away to customers. The only spam dish he liked was a spam pineapple up side down cake.
November 18th, 2008 at 8:01 am
I loved eating spam musubi back in my UHM days. I used to stop by the kiosk next to the history lecture room (oh my god, I forgot the actual name of the place!) It was my snack before lunch (lunch was stir fry at Manoa Gardens).
Now ... in my humble abode, I keep a can or two of that good stuff in my pantry...I cook for one and it's still hard to cook Spam without half of it going bad (i try to not eat the entire can...getting old means: cholesterol and all those other ailments).
They had a Spam cookoff somewhere in the midwest, I saw it on Food Network...interesting what these haoles come up with - some of them, I wouldnt dare to try!
November 18th, 2008 at 8:06 am
my family extends to the mainland. as christmas gifts, my parents would send them spam musubi makers along with the spam cookbook. they, like the rest of the us, thought spam was junk food until we made them spam musubis (with the sauce). at our family reunions, we'd always go on a hike or trek. before we left the house, it was a family thing to make the "bricks" as they called them.
they love spam now and can't go on any excursion or trip without the "bricks".
November 18th, 2008 at 8:12 am
My favorite spam dish from small-kid time is what my parents called "spam delight." Cube the spam, fry it (no oil; just put in the pan so it gets crunchy on all sides). Then put in a big can of canned tomatoes and a can of mixed veggies.
I figured out later that "spam delight" was our meal when we had no $$ for meat, but us kids loved it!
November 18th, 2008 at 8:26 am
"Spam ham", studded with cloves....yup, I remember that as a kid.
I don't eat too much anymore, my wife (mainland) hates it, but it is really hard to beat a spam musubi when you need a fast bite.
November 18th, 2008 at 8:28 am
mmmmm SPAM.
Gotta love it.
On a completely unrelated note. Loved that article about sunny. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful mom.
November 18th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Spam ia rapidly becoming a house hold product accoss the US. I guess everybody is feeling the economic pinch. Had a spam musube at the Mililani golf course restaurant and it was almost 5 dollars!!!
November 18th, 2008 at 8:58 am
i like spam until the next day when i feel like i've spent a week in a desert with no water
November 18th, 2008 at 9:01 am
i like spam . . . i wouldn't say LOVE, but i enjoy a slice in my zip-pac and/or bento, and a spam musubi hits the spot after a day at the beach.
my nephew on the other hand, LOVES spam, especially spam musubi . . . i'm getting him those pillows that look like a spam musubi for christmas! LOL!!
November 18th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Our Spam comes from Denmark, the Philippines or South Korea? WWD?!?!
November 18th, 2008 at 9:25 am
i remember before time when rooming with some friends.....when it was my turn to cook.....i would prepare this fancy (well.....i "thought" it was fancy back then) spam dish.
i would simmer 2 or 3 cans of spam (whole) in some cream of mushroom (da gravy).
then when pau cook.....i would carve the spam loin and plate it in a nice fashion. drizzle the cream of mushroom gravy all over and finish by garnishing with some green onions on top. mmmm......hah!
eh k-mo .....where get them spam musubi pillows?
November 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I [heart] span as well. 'Tis wonderful.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Oops! I meant I [heart] Spam (heh, not "span"; though I'll span the island for a can of Spam!).
November 18th, 2008 at 10:13 am
We usually get the reduced sodium, not the Lite. Fried sliced Spam with eggs and rice is a winner. But, my best way of having Spam is sliced and cooked in shoyu/sugar and eating it with musubi w/ nori and ume when out fishing on a boat. Egg w/chopped green onions omelet and portuguese sausage also goes well with it. Easy to eat...and so ono out on the water.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:19 am
SPAM yum.
I had 2 spam musubi this morning with couple pieces fried chicken from Hilo Lunch Shop. I am a happy camper this morning.
BTW Cat, Loved your post on Sunny in today's Island Life column. Keep your dog with you inside the house. Never mind what people say. It's your choice. He's your companion. I have 3 dogs. Two are small chihuahua mix that stay in an outside kennel when we are at work. But at night I bring them in along with my German Shepherd/Shar Pei mix. They are clean. The big dog doesn't leave presents inside the house. The small ones, eh, once in awhile leave surprises. Small kind so easy to clean and wet mop. Enjoy Sunny. It lowers blood pressure after a long day at work and his good to your health.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Did you all the see the episode when Bizzare Foods host Andrew Zimmern came to Hawaii and tried the Spam dishes? He was all grossed out and couldn't finish the meal. He can eat penis, balls, bugs, and brains, but cannot down delicious Spam. Da guy is poho
, Bourdain mo bettah. 
November 18th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I love SPAM. Fast and easy. Spam was really cheap on the mainland and we used to go to Costco and stock up. Back in high school, I could eat a whole can by myself. Now I reluctantly share with my wife and son. I guess that's good since I still have my freshman 20. lol.
UH Class of '98.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
SPAM stands for Specially Processed Animal Meat
November 18th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I love spam... spam spam spam spam, I love spam... spam is so delicious, spam is the best, spam spam spam spam, I even love saying the word spam spam spam spam... SPAM!!!!!! yay spam!
NEO
(work going crazy!!!)
November 18th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I love spam!! I know it's not too healthy and I should not consume too much of it, but it's addicting! Sometimes I just have these enormous spam cravings. It's no wonder the sales didn't plummet.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I am somewhat of a local food heretic. Spam is OK, but I generally prefer other fatty meats and even the 'healthy' Canadian bacon.
In my Mom's fried rice: Portuguese Sausage mo betta
In a musubi- salmon or shoyu tuna
On a musubi- teri chicken with choke sauce
With eggs- Portuguese Sausage or bacon or Canadian bacon
In Saimin- Char Siu baby!
In a bento- can do without, much more so than furukaki on da rice.
I do like fried spam betta than vienna sausage (RIP Joey).
Only a matter of time before someone composes a 'Green Nori and Spam' children's book.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
spam and eggs
spam eggs and spam
spam eggs spam and spam
spam spam eggs spam spam and spam
My 401k is looking so bad that this year I'm gonna get a dozen or so cans of Spam and mold them into the shape of a turkey.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Sure seems like SPAM has a loyal following! As a kid, we ate it fried or in sandwiches. Not because we were trying to save money or anything - it was just yummy! Now, I love a good spam musubi, but I generally don't eat spam too often. It's kind of salty for me - even the reduced sodium version - unless you are eating it in the right combination with something else. You can't beat spam in a bento or zip pack - it has that right amount of saltiness to go with the rice!
November 18th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Healthy? Spam
WonBok at korean markets is like 50 cents a pound. 1 Can of spam, 1 Big WonBok stir fried together and some hot rice make a nice meal.
Spam and cabbage. Spam and Swisschard. Spam with bell pepper and black bean paste. Cold minced spam with tofu. A few slices in instant ramen. Spam and kalamungai omlette.
Bentos are better with spam. LOL
Spam is wonder food because you can keep it stocked in your pantry all the time, and use it with fresh items. Because it's pretty salty, it makes for great quick stir fries with most vegetables.
Generic spam is pretty good too, and even cheaper. I always have a few brands of spam in my pantry!
November 19th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I thought Guam had the highest consumption of spam per capita ... Guamanians have it for breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, dessert, midnight snack ...