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How Spam (the Food) Works

Tasting Spam

Step 5: Enjoy!
Photo courtesy Ed Grabianowski

Before writing this article, I'd never eaten Spam before. In fact, I'd always been sort of amazed that anyone ate it, since all I'd ever heard about it were disparaging jokes. I was subconsciously certain that it must be one of the most vile, disgusting foodstuffs ever created, something barely worthy of being considered a "foodstuff" at all.

But I realized that I couldn't very well write about Spam without having eaten any. It was with a certain amount of trepidation that I peeled back the lid of the can of Classic Spam and gave it a cautionary sniff. Then I used a fork to pry out a chunk (the texture is surprisingly soft) and ate some cold. As I expected, Spam tastes more or less like ham, but it's pretty bland and very salty. After a few bites I found I was actually enjoying my first Spam experience. As a further experiment, I cut off a slice and made a Spam and cheese sandwich, heated briefly on the stove. I guess you never know what will happen when you try something new -- I found the sandwich delicious.

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The remaining Spam sits in its can (wrapped in aluminum foil) in my fridge. I'll probably have it for lunch tomorrow.

For the record, my dog liked the Spam even more than I did.

To find out more about Spam, check out the links below.

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More Great Links

Sources

  • Hormel Foods Corporation. “Spam Timeline.” http://www.Spam.com/museum/Spam_history.aspx
  • ­Nöthlings U, Wilkens LR, Murphy SP, Hankin JH, Henderson BE, Kolonel LN. “Meat and Fat Intake as Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study.” Journal of the National Cancer Insitute, June 7, 2006. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/19/1458
  • Patten, Margeurite. "Spam The Cookbook." Hamlyn , 2001.
  • The Meadowlands. “Giants Stadium Facts & Figures.” http://www.meadowlands.com/giantsFacts.asp?navID=7
  • Wyman, Carolyn. "Spam: A Biography." Harvest Books, 1999.

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