An Informal Discussion About Spam
February 21, 2021
Unknowingly blind to the reputation this canned mystery meat acquired for itself, I blissfully ate it (and continue to do so today) since 2001, at the ripe age of nine years old. Topped with caramelized shoyu and sugar, then tucked within a bed of sushi rice and a nori comforter, we are presented with Hawaii’s favorite snack and lunchtime grab-n-go, the Spam Musubi.
First, let’s sort out some definitions.
Musubi: You know how sushi is wrapped in seaweed? It is sort of like that, but no rice vinegar is added, so we have a more full-bodied flavor of the rice alone. The word takes its origins from the Japanese language. Synonym: onigiri. Etymology: From Japanese 結び ( musubi, " rice ball").
Shoyu: Let me be clear about something here. Soy-sauce is fermented soybeans and wheat, shoyu is made from fermented soybeans alone. But in Hawaii, both items are simply referred to as “shoyu.” I’m not exactly why, so if you know the history, do share! But, what is used for the ono-licious Spam Musubis? Generally, the decision is left to individual preference, but for ya gurl right here, it’s Kikkomann for life (@Kikkoman, sponsor me!).
Nori: The Japanese word for ~seaweed~
Sushi Rice: Japanese short-grain rice. I actually had no idea there was a specific type of rice for making these until I left Hawaii and tried to make a Spam Musubi with random white rice from Sainsbury’s. It went horribly wrong. I later discovered that Japanese rice is eaten on a regular basis in Hawaii with non-sushi meals and this is where my confusion came from. In short, sushi rice is short-grain rice.
Ono: Hawaiian pidgin for “so damn good (tasting)!”
Moving on. As a child, this meat was consumed best after a long day of school at Dole Intermediate School located in Kalihi Valley. A quick stop into the corner shop, also known as the “pink shop” that sold the individually saran-wrapped musubis was the highlight of the afternoon. You would have to get off the number 7 bus, then get back on, but it was always worth it. If you were lucky, they would still be warm from being made earlier that afternoon by the shopkeeper’s wife. The businesswoman in her knew to anticipate the after-school demand, so she made her product stand out. Her strategy worked too, the freshly made musubis were sought out by any kid who had P.E. that day…and were usually gone within an hour of being put out.
As an adult, I revere it. Not for its non-existent nutritional value, but for its resilience. When I mention Spam to someone, not from my neck of the woods, the indestructible canned meat is met with indifference or disgust. But alas, it has survived through the years. Though, when you take an honest look at it, these responses are understandable. With a high fat, calorie, and sodium content, and nearly no vitamins, nutrients, proteins, or minerals, the product would fail a blind-nutritional-value-test. This, of course, is a test I have just made up within my own alternative reality. Spam is also highly processed and contains preservatives like sodium nitrate, which can cause unfavorable side effects. Not only that but straight out of the can, the meat is frankly….gross. It smells funny, it’s hard, gelatinous, and sweaty…it’s a meat-shaped brick for Pete’s sake! Even the famous Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern can’t stand the meat and Monty Python made a jab at it back in 1970.
I’m really not selling this, but I promise I will end this post on a good note.
Now that I’ve learned to make them myself, I realized the amount of profit the shopkeeper’s wife was pulling in every afternoon. On that note, I’m not mad about it either…rather, impressed by her ingenuity. But when I look back at my childhood with Spam Musubis, I now understand that it was a small part of a larger love-affair Hawaii developed with the canned meat, dating back to the second world war. According to this HuffPost article, “the island's love affair with Spam began in World War II, when GIs were served the salty luncheon meat because it didn't require refrigeration and had a long shelf life. The Hormel Corporation, which manufactures Spam, provided 15 million cans to Allied troops every week. Between 1941 and 1945, Hormel had shipped over 100 million pounds overseas.” This history has shaped the palette I have today and speaks to the larger topic of how food association helps to shape an individual’s identity. More on this later…
Since then, locals in Hawaii have taken to it and never looked back. McDonald’s in Hawaii even noted the demand for it and introduced its Local Deluxe Breakfast Platter (rice, eggs, Portuguese sausage, and spam), a hearty breakfast indeed. People in Hawaii have taken Spam and adapted it to fit in with local dishes all over the Hawaiian islands. It’s also expanded and made its way into the diets of people all over the Pacific. As for me, Spam is a symbol of childhood and I’ll continue to eat it. Not for my body, but for my soul…and because it tastes so damn good!