I haven’t had much experience with Spam since I was
little and my parents packed it on camping trips. They opened the can,
sliced it up and put it on sliced white bread with pre-packaged cheese
and we ate it over an already cold fire before suiting up for a day full
of canoeing, hiking or spotting and identifying plants and birds.
I recently revisited Spam when I was spending time
with my fiancé, who is Korean-American, and who is good enough to share
his culture and food traditions with me. He grew up loving Spam and
eating it as a special treat meal. When he told me this, I teased him
for liking an old-school food.
I on the other hand dreaded Spam and thought of it
more as a punishment, or at least a bottom-of-the-barrel necessity
rather than a celebration meal. He said Spam is regarded as a sensation
in Korea and his mom, my future mother in law, stocks it in her pantry
like she’s prepping for World War III. I investigated the Spam
popularity the other day online, and it’s true. I even came across
shopping sites that had Spam holiday packages similar to America’s
cheese and sausage basket or maybe the Christmas time specials that
liquor companies that include a set of glasses, a martini shaker and a
bottle of booze. It’s the all-in-one party in a box type deal. These
Spam kits included two tins of Spam, chopsticks and small plates that
matched the iconic blue and yellow Spam containers.
Although I was reluctant, my friend offered to cook
up a little Spam. Since I generally adhere to the try anything once rule
with food I agreed and went forward with an open mind. He thinly sliced
the Spam and pan-fried it over extreme high heat. In the same pan, he
fried an egg. This simple combination really works. He served up a scoop
of short grain sticky rice, what most Asians actually eat, not the
takeout generic rice or minute rice that is more familiar to American
tables. He spooned out a little spicy sesame paste to eat with it, and I
fell in love with this delicious meal. The Spam is spicy, like ham, but
has a different flavor that really works with rice. The egg set it off
in an almost breakfast type meal, but the spicy sesame paste made it all
savory and dinner-like. I would never have imagined that I would like
this meal, but you know what, I just had it for breakfast. I plan to eat
it again. It’s the simplest thing to make, and Spam lasts forever in the
fridge. That’s part of the appeal I think to Koreans, and Hawaiians,
where it is also popular. As the legend goes, U.S. Troops brought Spam
with them when they were stationed in Korea during the war in the 1950s.
Spam was originally invented and popularized in America during World War
II. American soldiers had it as MRIs because it lasts forever and
supplies much need fat, salt and protein, but because it’s packaged in a
tin it is easily carried in packs. After the war, Spam was marketed to
the general public and it’s another one of those wonderful things we
have that grew from necessity and became a kitschy popular item in the
50s and 60s. Now, Spam is on T-shirts and is the subject of a Monty
Python play touring America, Spamalot. It is a joke among most people, a
cheap, processed meat that comes in a can and sits in the store next to
Vienna sausages, the Redneck’s dream cuisine.
But little did I know, Spam isn’t that bad, and it
remains popular in households in Asian and Hawaii, where fish is more
common in diets and more easily harvested. Hogs are rare in these areas,
but canned meat is not.
All I’m saying is, Spam’s not that bad. Give
another go.
