Spam-Hot & Spicy

Recently, I read a post on another blog where the writer linked to an online magazine article: What's In Your Spam. In the article, the author pokes fun at Spam, what is in it and states that it is "the go-to food for Depression-era Okies and would-be subterranean nuclear holocaust survivors." Obviously the writer has some snobby, preconceived notions about what Spam is and who eats it. I would think that he would be surprised at some prominent people that eat Spam. One of the best American mountaineers eats Spam on his climbs and he jokes about it in a movie during a climb of Mt Everest. I don't eat Spam very often, but I do like the long shelf life that it has and that it can be taken places where refrigeration is not available(camping, boating, mountain climbing) and since it is pre cooked, it can be eaten cold. I have carried Spam on my boat during lengthy voyages and particularly like the idea that it can stay fresh long after the ice has melted. In my youth, my mom occasionally fed us Spam, probably for it's ease of cooking(she worked long hours) and it's cheap cost. I would rather eat Spam than the liver from a forced fed goose! I hear that that is considered a delicacy by some people! And probably very expensive!

My choice of Spam is a version called Hot & Spicy Spam.This version of Spam originated from a chain of restaurants in Guam named "Shirley's".

Spam was a treat in the Pacific Islands after it was introduced during World War II. It lasted well without refrigeration. Shirley mixed Tabasco sauce with Spam and used it in her restaurant for rice and other dishes. The Hormel company heard about this, worked with her and actually packaged Hot and Spicy Spam, mainly for sale in Guam and other islands. They also test marketed it in Hawaii and some southern states. It is still available in Hawaii, I bought some during my last vacation there. It is also available in the Navy Commissary at Bangor for those that can shop there.

When I was working in Guam, we usually ate breakfast at the "Shirley's" restaurant next door to our hotel. Unusual dishes were offered for breakfast at "Shirley's" and I found that fried rice really stuck with me and gave me strength through the day when I was working long hours on the ship in the high heat and humidity. Fried rice at Shirleys could contain shrimp, chicken or Spam. Yes Spam! And it could be regular Spam or Hot and Spicy Spam! I preferred the Hot & Spicy Spam version. I have some Hot & Spicy Spam stockpiled and occasionally make the fried rice with it. You do need to like hot food to enjoy it! The recipe for the rice was on the can.

Besides Hot & Spicy Spam fried rice, Spam also is good in scrambled eggs. I have cooked scrambled eggs with Hot & Spicy Spam for friends with rave reviews.

 

 Hot & Spicy Spam a version of Spam that is often the butt of jokes and ridicule.

This is fried rice made today from brown basmati rice, eggs, stir fry veggies and diced Hot & Spicy Spam. I picked up this recipe while I was working in Guam a few years ago. The restaurant next to our hotel was named Shirleys. She had several restaurants around the island.

And don't tell me that I need some sauce to put on this rice dish. I like it naked, the rice that is, without anything on it! And it really hits the spot after a long day of activity like riding the bicycle.