Spam Sandwich!
Aug. 5th, 2012 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
furtechI just had a Spam sandwich!
One of my recent activities has been working with a JA oral history project. Apparently any discussion group involving Japanese Americans talking about our history eventually turns toward two things: the Internment of WWII and food. Spam musubi has come up so many times that I've been craving it for weeks now.
I snagged a can at the local Quickiemart (man, does that stuff EVER expire? I think the expiration date was over two and a half years from now!) and this morning opened it up. Visually, it was as unappetizing as I remember...but I sliced a piece off and microwaved it: semi-success. It made a decent sandwich. I think the secret is that you have to pan-fry it. I remember my Dad doing this years ago-- the first time he'd had it in literally decades-- on a whim. OMG. Fried spam is food magic: how else could you explain how the personification of "pink slime" could turn into a smokey-sweet, delicious cabochon of meat?
And the dogs! Man, you would have thought it was communion at an evangelical focus meet! Apache, who is a drooler when it comes to treats generally, was an unattractive waterfall of saliva. I slivered up a slice and gave it to them. They then spent the next ten minutes licking layers of stainless steel off their bowls in an effort to get every molecule of Spam.
I do appreciate that Hormel seems to have a resigned sense of humor about the use of their name as a label for unwanted internet ads. Here's something from their website regarding the shelf life of Spam : But if you find yourself sitting on a stock of SPAM® products during a zombie invasion, be sure to check the date before you enjoy.
Spam is one of America's biggest exports to Japan, along with Tabasco sauce (you're more likely to find a bottle of Tabasco sauce on any restaurant table than salt or pepper). This dates back to the US occupation of Japan after WWII: Hormel was (some would say) overly generous in sending Spam to the troops. This led to Spam becoming a kind of scrip in Japan, where it was traded to locals for souvenirs or services. Food was scarce then-- and meat had been scarce even before that-- so Spam was like mana from heaven.
There you go! More than you ever wanted to know about Spam on a Sunday!
One of my recent activities has been working with a JA oral history project. Apparently any discussion group involving Japanese Americans talking about our history eventually turns toward two things: the Internment of WWII and food. Spam musubi has come up so many times that I've been craving it for weeks now.
I snagged a can at the local Quickiemart (man, does that stuff EVER expire? I think the expiration date was over two and a half years from now!) and this morning opened it up. Visually, it was as unappetizing as I remember...but I sliced a piece off and microwaved it: semi-success. It made a decent sandwich. I think the secret is that you have to pan-fry it. I remember my Dad doing this years ago-- the first time he'd had it in literally decades-- on a whim. OMG. Fried spam is food magic: how else could you explain how the personification of "pink slime" could turn into a smokey-sweet, delicious cabochon of meat?
And the dogs! Man, you would have thought it was communion at an evangelical focus meet! Apache, who is a drooler when it comes to treats generally, was an unattractive waterfall of saliva. I slivered up a slice and gave it to them. They then spent the next ten minutes licking layers of stainless steel off their bowls in an effort to get every molecule of Spam.
I do appreciate that Hormel seems to have a resigned sense of humor about the use of their name as a label for unwanted internet ads. Here's something from their website regarding the shelf life of Spam : But if you find yourself sitting on a stock of SPAM® products during a zombie invasion, be sure to check the date before you enjoy.
Spam is one of America's biggest exports to Japan, along with Tabasco sauce (you're more likely to find a bottle of Tabasco sauce on any restaurant table than salt or pepper). This dates back to the US occupation of Japan after WWII: Hormel was (some would say) overly generous in sending Spam to the troops. This led to Spam becoming a kind of scrip in Japan, where it was traded to locals for souvenirs or services. Food was scarce then-- and meat had been scarce even before that-- so Spam was like mana from heaven.
There you go! More than you ever wanted to know about Spam on a Sunday!
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Date: 2012-08-06 09:44 am (UTC)Apparently Hormel has always had a sense of humor about their product: the company reacted enthusiastically when they first heard about Monty Python's "Spam Song" and even offered to send them a case (which, according to Michael Palin, was politely declined). I do like a company with a sense of humor about itself. We could use more of that these days.