"Spam got hate mail from the troops" Topic

…the need for shelf-stable foodstuffs during World War II led to a worldwide embrace of the nitrate-rich pork product. Some American troops, however, were less than thrilled with their rations of "SPecial Army Meat" and wrote letters to Jay Hormel to let him know…

Military: link

One of my fond memories of being in the Marine Corps was being at the division supply area after the fighting ended during Gulf 1. After living for two months in the field on two meals a day, one MRE and one of rice and something else, (rice and chicken, rice and beef, rice and rice…), we were thrilled to be in a place with food. One night we broke into the chow tent and 'appropriated' a number 2 can of mustard, a case of bread, and a massive can of Spam. Sandwiches all around. Good times!

Hawaiians loved it. My old Hawaiian buddy said that during WW@ it was hard to get meat in the islands. Except for Spam. So, they learned to be creative with it.
Hawaiian restaurants around town here feature it on their menus!

I grew up in Spam Town, USA, Austin, MN. When the wind was blowing from the right direction, you could smell the Hormel plant -- a distinct pig meat odor. When the wind was blowing the opposite direction, you could smell the treatment plant, which, like Hormel, was only a couple of miles away from my childhood home. Neither smell was very pleasant. Fortunately, the wind was often from the other two directions, and when it blew foul, it did not last terribly long.

I grew up eating Spam, as an occasional meal. It is quite salty, but I liked it. When I see a Spam Burger on a restaurant menu, I order one -- for nostalgia, and because I like it. I rarely eat it anymore. My wife despises it, so the rare restaurant menu is about my only opportunity. Cheers!

Love Spam.

I still bring home a can every so often--especially when the government warns of "temporary" lockdowns or shortages.

I suspect Hormel's problem was being an actual firm with an address. Who would you write to about chipped beef on toast?

So Spam got spammed?

I like
spam egg and chips and
eggs spam and chips and
chips eggs and spam and
spam eggs chips and spam and
spam spam chips spam and eggs and….

The US shipped LOTS of Spam to the Soviet Union, where it was called "Second Front." I wonder how Red Army veterans remember it? Nasty, but better than what they usually got?

When I was an E-3 with a new baby, Spam was on the dinner
menu 3-4 timea/week. my wife was very creative with
recipes.

My mother, who was in her teens for WWII, told me they called in a serious chef to improve the edibility of spam. That may have been propaganda, of course. But depending on when in the process it happened, it raises the possibility of WWII troops having experienced worse spam than the post-WWII generation remembers.

it raises the possibility of WWII troops having experienced worse spam than the post-WWII generation remembers.

That's a frightening possibility!

My father served in the Pacific in WWII, and he refused to have any canned meat in the house my entire childhood. He apparently had all he could stomach in the war years.

I'm also remembering Bob Hope. "I had lunch with the General before this show, and I want you to know he eats the same food you do. Of course, they cook his."

I Like Spam! Often in preference to Corned Beef… and I am a Brit!
Great for Salads… or Deep Fried in batter… do not be put off by the awful Spam Fritters served in Chip Shops!
(Suspect that They may be closer to 'Military' spec!)

I keep a couple of small tins of both Spam and Corned Beef as a reserve… and sometimes just feel like it!

Mserafin-look at modern russian MREs -cattle and pork brains etc-you can bet they would love spam.

Mserafin,
I can answer that for you. Back in the 1990's, I was fortunate enough to meet a group of Russian emigres that lived in Houston. Many of them were WWII veterans; in fact, my first meeting with them was on Victory Day.

They uniformly said that they loved it. In fact, one lady (she had been in an AA unit) showed us how to cut it. Open the can, slide the meat partly out, and cut along the edge of the can. She even ate the gel on the meat! Apparently the three English words all of them knew were:
Studebaker, Willys, and SPAM.

BrianW. Good idea for the cutting! If all you have is a Big Knife! Russians can know what they are doing… sometimes.

Will add that for 'Cooked' Spam… some Peppercorns can give it some 'tasty Crunch'…. but watch for an 'Old Guys' Teeth!

Have not tried it, but thinking Spam and Pineapple chunks 'could work' hot or cold.

I like Spam. Fried with eggs makes a great breakfast. They also are stocked as emergency foods.

When I visit Guam I enjoy the traditional breakfast of fried spam, sunny-side eggs on a mound of fried rice.

I haven't ever experienced the original spam, but have had encounters with various other canned meats.

My mother once came up with an "emergency recipe" which involves making a sauce out of onions, canned tomatoes and canned meat (beef and pork) – great when properly cooked and served hot with freshly boiled pasta! Since the ingredients keep well, it is easy to keep them readily stocked in the kitchen for those days when you have nothing else to cook.

A very close friend of mine did a tour (US Army) in South Korea in the early 70s. He told me that the South Koreans considered SPAM as a delicacy (his word), because so many of the civilian population had been saved from starvation by its wide issuance to the civilian populace during the Korean War.

B

Sgt Slag,
You sure got a bum deal growing up with respect to your commercial neighbors. My elementary school was situated two blocks away from the Baker Chocolate Works in Dorchester MA.

Mmmmm … ;-)

B

My father was a WWII veteran. He liked Spam and creamed dried
beef. Maybe growing up during the Depression had something
to do with it.

HH,
Oh, absolutely! It was one of those things where you go, "Now that makes perfectly good sense."