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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → This Post is About SPAM
That indigestable, heavily-salted, morbidly-unhealthy crap that never goes away. When I was Googling for a pic to post, I was amazed at how many flavors there are! Yet no matter how it's dressed up, it's the worst thing a person can put in their mouth, or post on a wonderful discussion board like Chordie.
Great Photo !!! The "Better Half" informs me that they even have a "lower salt/fat" variety that has CHICKEN in it !! 
Until Monty Python came along Spam was something most Kiwis didnt eat or know about. Now days we know it as a computer thing but as product to eat.not one sort after by Kiwi's. Great photo TF.
now, now, boys and girls -
When I was in college and had no money I used to have Spam and Macaroni & Cheese for dinner 3 or four times a week - I didn't mind it at all.
I actually kinda liked it. But then again I grew up with 9 siblings - my dad was killed in an industrial accident when I was 7 months old - leaving my mom with 10 kids and a farm to run. When you came to dinner you ate what was served - no complaining or you ended up with nothing. I guess that's why SPAM ain't so bad to me.
As far as ingredients - no worse than chicken McNuggets or hot dogs. While I admit that I haven't had any in probably 10 - 15 years - I wouldn't hesitate if it was on my plate.
"When you are facing hunger with limited means - pretty much everything looks good"
I love the Monty Python skit ! 
I was suprised to discover this morning cans of Spam availabe at our local supermarket. It made me wonder what this product is about as my only reference to it is Monty Python. I discoverd It was first introduced in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use during World War II. the product was intended to increase the sale of pork shoulder which was not a very popular cut..The difficulty of delivering fresh meat to the front during World War II saw Spam become a ubiquitous part of the U.S. soldier's diet. It became variously referred to as "ham that didn't pass its physical", "meatloaf without basic training" and "Special Army Meat". Over 150 million pounds of Spam were purchased by the military before the war's end.
During World War II and the occupations which followed, Spam was introduced into Guam, Hawaii, Okinawa, the Philippines, and other islands in the Pacific. Immediately absorbed into native diets, it has become a unique part of the history and effects of U.S. influence in the Pacific.
As a consequence of World War II rationing, Spam also gained prominence in the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher later referred to it as a "wartime delicacy. At the time it was introduced, it was the only canned meat product on the market that needed no refrigeration. Spam gained a reputation in the United Kingdom and the United States as a poverty food. The image of Spam as a low cost meat product gave rise to the Scottish colloquial term "Spam valley" to describe certain affluent housing areas where residents appear to be wealthy but in reality may be living at poverty levels. Spam is celebrated in Austin, Minnesota, home to the Spam Museum. The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture. After all that information on it I am not sure if I want to try it. I would be interested to hear Chordie members stories about Spam. I found TIGS story inspiring how a widow managed to bring him and his other nine sibblings up in hard times. Also how Spam kept him alive at college. More Spam stories if you got one please.
Some of you are aware that I was raised in the "Middle East" where you will find it difficult to get your hands on Pork in any form as it is regarded "Unclean". Although we had "Commissary access" at the American Military bases, they were normally located some distance from where we lived (on the economy), and foreign Nationals were not permitted to own "property" such as Houses or Automobiles. Dad had a car and driver "Issued" for his use, but the family walked or used public transportation to shop locally for most of our groceries. Several times a year the Post Exchange would be stocked with Ham, Bacon, and such, but SPAM was always on the shelves. Sliced thin and fried it was a good alternative to Bacon or Sausage for breakfast, diced a welcome addition to an Omlette.
If I looked around my larder, there just might be a can hiding in there somewhere, although I tend to lean towards the "Smoked" version, and it will usually make an appearance sometime during the camping season as it still does not need refrigeration, and has the "half-life" of Plutonium in an unopened tin.
That was interesting Doug. I spent part of my childhood in Fiji. I remember a tin product called Bully Beef which most people would now know as Salt Beef or Corned Beef. It was very popular as many people in those days in Fijian villages didn't have fridges. I was wondering if tin corn beef was something they had in the Middle East.????
During the first world war the Australian and New Zealand armed forces were known as Anzac's. A hundred years ago our soldiers at Gallipoli, Turkey were issued as part of their rations bully beef. It came in cans every day for months and months. They had nothing much else but that and tough-as-rocks biscuits they called hard tack. Bully beef was the major source of protein for the Anzac troops.
Doug I love the way you wrote. If I looked around my larder, there just might be a can hiding in there somewhere, although I tend to lean towards the "Smoked" version, and it will usually make an appearance sometime during the camping season as it still does not need refrigeration, and has the "half-life" of Plutonium in an unopened tin
I love it, when I was growing up in Milwaukee my mom made spam and scalloped potatoes with some onion and breadcrumbs and milk it tasted fantastic I still make it today and on occasion fry it up for breakfast or lunch and at 2.45 a can it is still a cheap alternative.
I've used it for work sarnies, fried it like bacon or as a quick meal with egg and chips, that's UK chips!
I have seen spam in shops but the manufacturer's like to give it other names like"chopped ham"
I've always loved corned beef or bully beef again in sarnies with tomato ketchup. It used to give me terrible heartburn till the doctor gave me some pills I take every morning, so I can eat almost anything.
Peatle, it's only pork products that's not allowed, beef is OK
Phill over in Fiji the Muslim people wouldn't eat meat unless it is known as halal meat. They wouldn't eat tin bully beef Their food had to come from a supplier that uses halal practices which is a prescribed method of slaughter for all meat sources, excluding fish and other sea-life, per Islamic law. This method of slaughtering animals consists of using a well-sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, trachea, and jugular veins.The head of an animal that is slaughtered using halal methods is aligned in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. In addition to the direction, permitted animals should be slaughtered upon utterance of a Islamic prayer 'Bismillah' The slaughter had to be performed by a Muslim and blood must be drained from the veins. So I thought maybe in the Middle East none halal meat could have been an issue.
"...it will usually make an appearance sometime during the camping season as it still does not need refrigeration, and has the "half-life" of Plutonium in an unopened tin.
This is a solid gold statement, Doug ... hilarious. We could probably do a "David Letterman" styled list of things that SPAM does which nothing else can do. And I never realized SPAM (the "edible" version) had so many fans. Apologies if I offended anyone's tastes. We live in the heart of a large agricultural area, so fresh meats of every kind are readily available. I don't think canned or pre-packaged meats sell very well here in our grocery stores.
TF I bet you never thought your humour would end up with the discussion taking a segway like it has ?
There was a Pennsylvania Dutch product where I grew called "scrapple." It's mostly organs and in my opinion not at all palatable. I like liverwurst and pate, which of course is also organs, but for some reason scrapple and I never saw eye to eye.
So while we were at a fishing camp and cooking over the fire, someone was frying up scrapple and some of the other folks were saying how much they were looking forward to it. I turned down my share and received the usual sort of statements, "You don't know what you're missing," or "Try it, you'll like it." I knew what I was missing and was grateful, having tried it many times. And I let them know it using short words and small sentences, spoken loudly. To which, one of the fellows said, "Well at least it isn't Spam."
With that challenge tossed, we decided to accept, so someone trotted over to the country store to pick up some Spam, which we fried up and served alongside the scrapple.
In my opinion, the Spam won hands down. The rest of the men were wrong.
Sorry Peatle, having spent a lot of time in Turkey (the place not the bird lol) I should have remembered about halal foods. Bismillah, Ive often seen it on Turkish dolmushes (mini bus) I thought they were saying they liked Queen?
Zurf, we have this meat ball they call "faggots" it tastes as disgusting as it sounds being made of internal organs and I believe anything else that happens to be laying around in the butcher shop, eg: sawdust!!!!!
Phill, you might appreciate this comment: Mom used to make something like a Welsh Pastie, using tinned corned beef, diced spuds, and vegetables incl. onions. Kind of a "cold weather" favorite which I haven't made in years. We are heading into cooler times and I might just have to break out the old recipe book and take another whack at making some !
Janet's family originated in Wales, and it might seem familiar to the folks. 
Peatle. I'm not familiar with the pastie, but a favourite with my family is corned beef stew or cawl as we call it which just means soup! Sounds very similar with onions, corned beef (obviously) potatoes, carrots, swede and/or any other veggies to hand. Add water beef stock and boil till everything is cooked to taste. You can add anything you like. My daughter uses diced beef instead of corned beef. It would also work with chicken I guess?
There was a Pennsylvania Dutch product where I grew called "scrapple." It's mostly organs and in my opinion not at all palatable. I like liverwurst and pate, which of course is also organs, but for some reason scrapple and I never saw eye to eye.
Guess I'll be frying up the scrapple for Saturday breakfast.
Phill on my fathers side my Grandparents were from the Uk. They would call melted Cheese on toast Welsh Rabbit. My Maree was telling me her Welsh friends called it Welsh Rarebit. . My UK Grandparents if they said to me lets have a Rabbit and Pork it meant they wanted to have a talk. If they asked you is that a Pork Pie they were saying is that a lie.
Tripe was something my father liked to eat. As a kid I had to eat it but now I wouldnt go near it. For those not familiar with Tripe it was a popular nutritious and cheap dish for the British working classes from Victorian times until the latter half of the 20th century. It is made from sheep or cow's stomachs. The stomachs are cleaned and the fat trimmed off. It is then boiled and bleached, giving it, it's white colour when sold at the Butchers.
Or yes and back to my Nann and Grandpah from the UK if they said, "lets have a Butchers Hook" that meant lets have a look.
Ah thanks guys,all the above comments.
I`ve decided to forego lunch today!
Some how my appetite has gone.
Doug I think what you called a Welsh Pasty is known here as Cornish Pasty Here in NZ a Cornish pasty is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, on one half of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, folding the pastry in half to wrap the filling in a semicircle and crimping the curved edge to form a seal before baking. When I was growing up a bakery was our local form of takeout and they would sell items such as Pasty's , Meat pies and Apple turnovers . Apple turnovers is a sweet apple filling made with a puff pastry.
We didnt have McDonalds or Kentucky Fries in those days. Fish and Chips were our other popular takeout in those days,
Peatle, that sounds very similar, with a couple of differences ie: The pastry is leavened more like a bread dough with yeast, the filling was cooked or at least par-boiled (to reduce cooking time and prevent the fillings from making the bread soggy), the outside is brushed with an egg wash to toughen and seal the "crust" . More or less like a Calzone with traditional "stew-like" filling...... the "original Hot-Pocket" lunch for folks on the go!!
Phill's "faggots" sounds more like something we commonly refer to as a "hot-dog", especially as regards to the "whatever was in the butcher shop including sawdust" part.... not too sure where they source the "Chicken lips" though.
The origin of the Cornish pasties harks back to the days of the tin mines. Apparently they were half and half, half meat and potatoes and the other half apple or something. So breakfast and lunch. The reason for the lip around the outside is due to the poisonous nature of tin. The miners could hold the pastie by the rim which was then discarded, they had no provision to wash their hands.
I always thought hot dogs were sausages with a bread roll around them?
I always thought hot dogs were sausages with a bread roll around them?
Around here, hotdogs or sausage with some type of bread wrapping is known as "Pigs in a Blanket."
Often sold at sports events and food markets, there will be what is known as a Sausage Sizzle here in NZ. Sports clubs and charities use them to raise money. Most weekends there are are sausage sizzle fundraisers outside Supermarkets and Wharehouses . For clubs the easiest thing to do is to cook. sausages, onions, on a barbecue. Usually for a two dollar coin you get a sausage. You then choose to have it on fresh white bread or brown bread with the choice of tomato sauce or mustard.. What we call Hotdogs here is a saveloy on a stick or without a stick covered in batter and fried in oil. What we call American Hotdogs is a boiled saveloy in a bread roll with a choice of cheese, onion with mustard or tomato sauce.
A saveloy is a type of highly seasoned sausage, with a bright red skin , normally boiled. They are also available in fish and chips shops, fried in batter.
If a kiwi says to you "give us a fair suck of the Sav " ( Saveloy ) it actually means they want to be given a fair go and not be left out.
We have also in NZ Sausage Rolls. The basic composition of a sausage roll is sheets of puff pastry formed into tubes around sausage meat and glazed with egg or milk before being baked.
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