Heh, a restaraunt that specializes in Spam based dishes opened in the Phillipines last year and is doing some kick-ass business. I wonder how my fellow Japanese living in Kumamoto would react to Spam musubi... I think that I will sneak some thinly sliced slabs of Spam in to my next enkai (drinking party) and change them out with the basashi. I am willing to bet that small browned slices of Spam will taste pretty good when coupled with onions that are cut paper-thin, a leaf of shiso, and some thick shoyu.
Why is spam so reviled in the continental U.S. and so celebrated by Asians? I wonder what Europeans make of spam- do Norwegians celebrate spam like their Viking forefathers did? In any case, the reason why I don't eat spam on a regular basis isn't because I don't like it. I just think the price of spam is a bit too high, and I only like to eat a little spam at a time. One thing that really creeps me out about spam, though, is the jelly that helps the loaf to ooze out of the can- watching the loaf work its way out of the canal somehow brings to mind nature documentary footage of wild animals giving birth. After that, I cannot help but feeling a little bit like Kronos eating his young Titan children.
Spam is good. Maybe not good for you, but it's a staple item for the WW2 generation and Hawaiians, too. It's great for camping, fried rice and to freak out my health-food friends who put Spam up there with sausages, chorizo, mad cow and the devil himself. How about batter-coated, fried sticks of Spam, like corndogs? Meat on a stick is a classic summer fun food, so have fun and eat (only a little) Spam!
Re: Spam
I agree with yo mama. Funniest thing ever. My Grandad on my Mom's side (Grandad Jenkins) Won't even look at the can without snickering and saying something to the effect of, "Get that bloody rubbish away from me." He was RAF in WWII and was rationed SPAM BLD (breakfast, lunch and dinner), as most European "Allies" were. While I can't vouch for the entire European population, my guess is that Europe probably doesn't like it too much. Besides, they invented curry stew (JOKE for old time's sake). On the flip side, all my Dad's side, as you know, can't get enough of it. Do you remember my Spam, fried egg and rice bowls? Good stuff. The only beef, pun intended, that I have with Spam is that the sodium kills. And like the double edge sword, it's also what makes it so damn good and so damn dependable in times of stress. AKA in times of ration. I say that the salty assasian of swat, will complement any alcohol related fun. Remember the Tuna Rice Balls and Spam Mususbi? For days! Bring on the Vienna Sausages!
Dude, if there's one thing that I learned in college its how to make foods that taste good with lots of beer and liquor. We used to Q about 2 times a week when it was good weather and 1 if it was shitty (remember my DP barbecue in the pouring rain?).
I can understand where Grandpappy Jenkins is coming from- if I had to eat spam every day for the length of WWII, I would probably chose to eat substitutes as they became available (I.E. chicken strips, fried cheese sticks, but probably not the green hotdog with the blister like Brian- heh...). I'm pretty curious about this restaraunt, and if I make it over to the Phillipines I will try and swing on by.
On a side note, the most important thing about cooking spam is to sear it so that the outside becomes a little crisp, and the inside is nice and juicy, with all of those sweet, sweet nitrates! Ah, baste with teriyaki sauce, couple it with a bullet of rice, and bind it with some nori and you have yourself a tasty snack.