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| SPAM® 'n' Banana Fritters (1951) sdhistoricalsociety.org |
or a nice SPAM® Western Salad when you're feeling a little cowboyish? Yipeee!
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| SPAM® Western Salad (1945) vintage-ads.dreamwidth.org |
And when you're feeling really festive, how about SPAM® Fiesta Peach Cups?
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| SPAM® Fiesta Peach Cups (1956) thesocietypages.org |
And, seriously, who can keep a straight face while watching the classic Monty Python SPAM® skit? To the credit of the Hormel folks, even they have a sense of humor about their product. On their website, they say:
Over the years, the SPAM® Family of Products has made itself known around the world, winning over the hearts of soldiers, world leaders, chefs, kids and parents alike. In fact, Gracie Allen, Dwight Eisenhower, Margaret Thatcher and Monty Python all have sung praises of the SPAM® Brand.
youtube.com
Uploaded by zumpzump on February 14, 2007
But it's time to be honest. All the guffaws and choruses of "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam" aside, somebody is really eating this stuff. A quick look at the availability of SPAM® products on amazon.com revealed that it is still alive and kicking and being produced in a multitude of forms. (There are so many, in fact, that scrolling through them, single file, is the visual equivalent of singing the Python song.)
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| SPAM® Classic |
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| SPAM® Lite |
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| Reduced Sodium SPAM® |
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| SPAM® with Bacon |
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| SPAM® with Cheese |
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| Hickory Smoke SPAM® |
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| Hot & Spicy SPAM® |
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| SPAM® Spread |
And for the SPAM® lover on the go, there are even single serving packets. Don't worry...They come in Lite too.
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| SPAM® Singles |
So my question is this: Are you SPAM®-eaters out there willing to step up and admit that you have secretly been making Hormel richer? That you've been whipping up all the SPAM® recipes we've been posting? That you get up in the middle of the night and raid the refrigerator for a tasty snack of SPAM® leftovers? I promise you won't be ridiculed...much.
Hey, wait a minute. If this much SPAM® is still being sold, the joke just might be on us. What if SPAM® is really good, and those SPAM® hoarders out there are keeping it all for themselves? Maybe I'd better check out those recipes again.
I know that Hawaii is the biggest consumer of Spam; a sentimental World War II connection has a lot to do with it, I know. Bourdain did a feature on it too. California is another big consumer. Last year, I discovered "Spam Musubi" at a restaurant in Berkeley, it's a Spam version of the Japanese omusubi, which is essentially a large sushi. I have to say, yum!
ReplyDeleteIt's been years since I bought a can myself though.
I had heard that Spam is popular in Hawaii, but I didn't know there was a big market in California. You're brave for trying the Spam Musubi. I'm afraid that some bad memories of Spam meals when I was a kid would have made me reluctant to order it. :)
DeleteI have similar memories of Vienna sausage and potted meat.
LOL Love the ads and your defense of the product. I'm not sure Monty Python was singing the PRAISES of Spam, Spam Sam, Spam but I am glad it exists because it gives me something to smile about when I see those old recipes. I'm featuring Spam Cakes on my FB page right now.
ReplyDeleteI didn't pick up on the praise aspect of the Monty Python skit either, but you have to hand it to the ad men who convinced Hormel to embrace it. My theory that Spam might actually be good will probably remain just that...a theory...because I don't have any plans to buy any and find out. :)
DeleteSpam...can't say I have had it...so I'm either lucky and untramatized or missing out on the best thing ever! I remember seeing a Spam cooking contest somewhere years ago...the winner Spam Cheesecake. 'Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteSpam cheesecake...now that's a disgusting thought if ever there was one...LOL
DeleteI've never had spam, but I'd imagine that a good number of their consumers (outside of Hawaii) are campers or outdoor enthusiasts. Believe it or not, but SPAM is actually one of the more appetizing looking canned meats that I've seen on the grocery store shelf. I'll have to give it a try one day.... but not today.
ReplyDeletehaha "But not today" is probably a good plan.
DeleteThe more I look at the photo of Spam 'n' Banana Fritters, the more certain I am that I'm looking at canned asparagus, which is almost as unsettling as the Spam. My mother loved the stuff, so we had it frequently. For the most part, she was an excellent cook, so I suppose she should be forgiven a few transgressions.
ReplyDeleteSpam makes me gag a bit, I have to admit. I know it and know its easily recognisable tins but I'm not sure if we have it in Australia. I'll have to check next time I'm at the 'market.
ReplyDeleteI do like canned asparagus! What does that say about me? The shame. THE SHAME!!
My mom was big on making sure we took at least one bite of new foods. Then if we didn't like it, we didn't have to eat more. I still remember the night she made my brother take his first bite of canned asparagus...and he threw up on the dinner table. I think that put me off canned asparagus for good. :) Fresh asparagus is a completely different matter. I could eat a truckload of it.
DeleteI admit I do like SPAM! I did a post dedicated to it last year as well. It had been a long time since I'd tasted it, but kept seeing it on the shelves and thought 'Who is eating this stuff?!' So I grabbed some and made SPAM Burgers (Slice it up, grill it and whack it on a bun). They were super tasty. Not sure I could go for the SPAM Peach Cup recipe (LOL), but I was pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteYou're in good company, because as Ton S. said, Anthony Bourdain is now a Spam convert. He had it in Hawaii and says it's fabulous.
DeleteI have to admit, I love spam. I don't eat it often but i do think it's good. I live in Florida and its very good to have during a hurricane.
ReplyDeleteOK...I'm about to be persuaded to buy a can and try it. Maybe it's better than I remember. Who am I to question Anthony Bourdain? :)
DeleteI have it like 2 or 3 times a year.
ReplyDeleteUsually in a sandwich with mustard cheese and lettuce. (Adding slices green olives with it is pretty good!)
When I was a kid my Grandma would make everyone SPAM sandwiches for days at the beach and picnics. So whenever I have it ... it brings me back to times like those. *lol*
I think I could probably eat it if it were sliced really, really thin. My mom used to give us a slab...LOL
DeleteSurprised no one mentioned the song "Spam" by Save Ferris (1997). The lyrics are great.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard it, but of course I had to go find it when you mentioned it. Made in Chernobyl...LOL
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