Spam 75 and Still Kicking

In the immortal words of Monty Python:"Spam!Spam! Spam! Spam! Lovely Spam Lovely Spam!". The square canned meat staple is 75 years old this year. Spam the name is made of of the words spiced and ham and that is more or less what it is. Well there is a bit more than just ham and spices in that blue little can but no one wants to think about that now do they. Created by The Hormel Food Corporation in 1937 Spam is a world wide phenomenon. Gaining popularity during World War II as it could be shipped easily Spam became closely related to American GIs not unlike Budweiser Beer.
Often thought of as the poor man's meat because of its low cost Spam has a certain stigma to it in much of the USA. The is not the case in Hawaii and Guam! The residents of these islands consume more Spam per capita than anywhere. On Guam one can get Spam at McDonald's. Spam can be found there served with nori and rice. Umm Umm.

Wildly popular in Asia, Spam is featured in many Japanese, Korean and Chinese dishes. It is considered a lovely gift to bring a hostess. There are actual gift sets available.
In the USA there are Spam fans as well; in Austin, Minnesota where Hormel Foods has its corporate headquarters there is a celebration coinciding with the Fourth of July called Spam Jam. There are parades, fireworks the whole kit and caboodle of any festival. Honolulu also has its very own Spam Jam in the last week of April. Nothing says Waikiki like a Spam t-shirt.
In Israel there is a kosher version of Spam. What exactly this consits of is beyond imagination. Spam is apparently for everyone! Is Spamfu the vegetarian Spam available research is not complete on this.
Of course on can not think of Spam in this day and computer age without having junk email come to mind. Named because it is ubiquitous and unavoidable. Spam is here to stay!