How Has SPAM Stayed So Popular?

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  • Опубліковано 13 тра 2023
  • Weird History Food is sending you a SPAM alert. No, not those annoying emails you get from Planet Fitness, but the delicious ham in a can. SPAM has a longer history than you would expect, but probably a little longer than a can of SPAM's typical shelf-life. Peel this video can back and get some mustard, we're going ham on you.
    #SPAM #foodhistory #weirdhistoryfood
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 2,1 тис.

  • @weirdhistoryfood
    @weirdhistoryfood  Рік тому +227

    What is your favorite way to prepare SPAM?

    • @somersguy
      @somersguy Рік тому +79

      by putting it in the trash:)

    • @SkylarTrahan
      @SkylarTrahan Рік тому +50

      @@somersguy I’ll come grab it

    • @SkylarTrahan
      @SkylarTrahan Рік тому +73

      Fried, then put it on some toasted bread along with some mustard.

    • @valerieschoen7494
      @valerieschoen7494 Рік тому +50

      In fried rice

    • @IJustWant2WatchAnime
      @IJustWant2WatchAnime Рік тому +22

      I haven't had it since i was a kid, but i use to cut it into squares with some cheese slices and put it on ritz crackers as a snack

  • @johnm354
    @johnm354 Рік тому +1653

    My father came home from WWII saying that SPAM was the only food they got that could be trusted to be good. We ate it often at home.

    • @user-cf5oe9jl6e
      @user-cf5oe9jl6e Рік тому +46

      SPAM is secret weapon Hilter build to against US ! Heard that from Iron heart IV, pretty funny.

    • @AbuHajarAlBugatti
      @AbuHajarAlBugatti Рік тому

      @@user-cf5oe9jl6ewell its extremely unhealthy. A normal can of spam has so much salt that should usually be consumed in 3-4 days

    • @AbuHajarAlBugatti
      @AbuHajarAlBugatti Рік тому +61

      Yeah my dads screwed up military eating habits made me also grow up very unhealthy. Because he never ate vegetables I also never got vegetables aka no vitamins so I needed braces for crooked front teeth and am short with 5‘9 as a blonde man while everyone else I know its way taller (not american)

    • @NazriB
      @NazriB Рік тому +3

      Lies again? AMWF CAR VIGRX PLUS

    • @AbuHajarAlBugatti
      @AbuHajarAlBugatti Рік тому +6

      @@NazriB Lies again? Psychosis is no joke

  • @markbailey6230
    @markbailey6230 Рік тому +1139

    I'm 72 now. I spent almost 15 years in Hawai'i. Ate a lot of SPAM cause it was cheap, I was broke and it tastes good. I've lived in Florida for the last 30 years and my pantry is full of every type of SPAM that is made as a great Hurricane back up protien for me and my dogs. The Puppies love it and I do too. When the power is out for 9-10 days, I can open a can and grill it on the BBQ, put it on the exhaust system of my truck, or just eat it cold. It's cheap here, at about $3.29 a can and has a long shelf life. It's a Hell of a lot better then an MRE and you can even slice it and eat it cold if you have too. When I go shopping every 10 days, I always toss a few cans of SPAM in my cart. I gave a few different cans to my Daughter and her husband, but they were not fans. Just wait until they have no gas, power or heat for 10 days and then come on ever and raid my pantry.

    • @gulfstream7235
      @gulfstream7235 Рік тому +33

      You may as well be eating dog food

    • @silverjohn6037
      @silverjohn6037 Рік тому +110

      It's always the best make your emergency food something you use on a weekly basis so it get's cycled through instead of just sitting there going stale. For me it's oatmeal. Even if I don't have power I can rehydrate it cold. Now will I be happy after a couple of weeks of eating cold oatmeal;)? Probably not. Will I be alive to complain about it? A lot more likely.

    • @Samstar369
      @Samstar369 Рік тому +160

      @@gulfstream7235 You sure sound fun to talk to.

    • @drewpknutz1410
      @drewpknutz1410 Рік тому +142

      @@gulfstream7235 Trashing a 72 year old on what they eat... stay classy!

    • @youtubestudiosucks978
      @youtubestudiosucks978 Рік тому +131

      ​@@gulfstream7235 you seem to be the expert on what dogfood tastes like so which brand is the most tastiest?

  • @KoongYe
    @KoongYe 8 місяців тому +57

    The thing about SPAM is that it goes SOOOO well with rice because of its saltiness. In Korea, a full set of SPAM is given as a holiday gift because of it. It also goes so well with Korean stew varieties since it also is consumed with rice.

    • @LindaMerchant-bq2hp
      @LindaMerchant-bq2hp 3 місяці тому

      Great with fried or scrambled eggs😢

    • @Raiya_ru17
      @Raiya_ru17 17 днів тому

      So true. You don’t need any gimmicks with spam. It’s so good with rice no wonder it’s a hit in Asia. I also like it as a spam musubi. It’s quite salty on its own so I can’t usually eat it on its own unlike other luncheon meat. Problem tho is it is so crazy expensive.😅

  • @funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong
    @funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong 11 місяців тому +124

    My dad refused ro eat Spam for decades after he left Vietnam. My entire childhood I had Spam once or twice at most. In recent years since I've been helping care for him, he's redeveloped a taste for it (typically with eggs and toast for breakfast) and it's become a common grab for myself when grocery shopping. So many ways to make it, and cheap as hell.

    • @mattdrake2065
      @mattdrake2065 8 місяців тому +9

      Here in Australia it certainly ain’t cheap. $5.90 a can!

    • @tlilmiztli
      @tlilmiztli 5 місяців тому +2

      @@mattdrake2065 Same in Mexico - more or less $5.30... Lot more cheaper options.

    • @angkhoanguyen6114
      @angkhoanguyen6114 5 місяців тому +2

      SPAM is expensive in Vietnam. Unfitting price!

    • @Raiya_ru17
      @Raiya_ru17 17 днів тому

      Yeah it’s so expensive nowadays!

  • @dannywoo3535
    @dannywoo3535 Рік тому +248

    Spam has left its mark in Asian American History, cuz of its prescence in Hawaii and other Asian areas. Its very good in fried rice or noodles

    • @impudentdomain
      @impudentdomain Рік тому +10

      yes love the fried rice, and you can make it yourself with a little garlic, onions, some soy sauce and some cayenne pepper. It's an easy, cheap dish.

    • @sakurapablo671
      @sakurapablo671 Рік тому +11

      And this is the reason why, Guam, Philippine and Hawaii, will be the top three places that will fight for competitive spot for #1.

    • @cheese671GU
      @cheese671GU Рік тому +1

      @@sakurapablo671 I'd like to see the total chaos that would ensue if the global supply ran out. If you think we won't fly out to the PI and HI just to take your spam, think again.

    • @josephgaviota
      @josephgaviota Рік тому +2

      @@sakurapablo671 I work with a woman who grew up in Guam, who says her whole family is huge SPAM fans.

    • @AstarionWifey
      @AstarionWifey 11 місяців тому +3

      With eggs 🥚

  • @mehbuteh
    @mehbuteh Рік тому +1299

    You have to be in the mood for it. It's good on a sandwich or rice. Or left in your pantry for years.

    • @tjtweedy3189
      @tjtweedy3189 Рік тому +50

      I'm always in the mood for spam, but I'm alone in my household on this.

    • @mlmmt
      @mlmmt Рік тому +37

      Or you can be my household, where a can might last a few weeks tops... we all love spam, just cut into slices, and fry it up, good on a sandwich, or by itself with some eggs, though its generally considered a breakfast food here.

    • @tjtweedy3189
      @tjtweedy3189 Рік тому +16

      @@mlmmt I keep a stockpile for myself.

    • @Sm07369
      @Sm07369 Рік тому +19

      I love fried spam sandwiches

    • @B.H.56
      @B.H.56 Рік тому +23

      My stepmother made us eat cold spam sandwiches on a road trip. 50 years later, I'm still traumatized. I love it fried, but all that sodium - yikes.

  • @ikreer9777
    @ikreer9777 10 місяців тому +90

    My grandma had the best SPAM recipe. They lived on a farm that was not too far from the state capitol. Grandpa worked as an assistant to the governor. They were campaigning in the next county and Grandpa showed up, unannounced, with the governor for supper-on wash day. Grandma had not planned on company, so she partially boiled some potatoes, then cut them into chunks. Sliced a SPAM loaf in regular slices almost all the way through. Put the SPAM in a baking dish and stuffed sliced onions and cheddar cheese between each slice. Put the potatoes around it and put it in the oven until the potatoes browned. It was absolutely delicious and the governor loved it! Although when Grandma was telling me about it 40+ years later, she was still mad at Grandpa for just showing up with the governor. We ate it at least once a month when I was a kid and it was always a treat.

    • @potatoyes246
      @potatoyes246 9 місяців тому +1

      what a creative way to cook spam. never thought of blooming a whole spam loaf like that and stuffing it in the middle, i usually slice or cube them up and fry them lol

    • @richardgullick1867
      @richardgullick1867 2 місяці тому

      Your nan is a genius

  • @professorplum3858
    @professorplum3858 5 місяців тому +19

    I tried spam in middle school and was absolutely shocked to find out it was not as bad as I was previously led to believe. In the beginning of the Covid pandemic, just before things got bad in our state, I talked my wife into getting a few packages to fall back on as needed. Initially, she wasn't to keen on the idea, but she let me get them anyway. After frying them up in a breakfast scramble with some Pace Picante, she changed her mind completely.

    • @Raiya_ru17
      @Raiya_ru17 17 днів тому

      Spam is a hit in Hawaii, Guam and countries affected by world war for a reason. I get it from the comment now why the American GIs hate it. They are effin eating spam straight from can, like hell no! Lol. Spam is soooo good fried. It goes so well with rice that’s why it’s a hit here in Asia. Just take it in moderation tho because of sodium.

  • @leslietarkin5705
    @leslietarkin5705 Рік тому +647

    When I was in the Army, I remember telling my grandfather that our MREs didn't include SPAM. His reply was, "My God! The top brass got something right!!" He hated SPAM!

    • @metpach
      @metpach Рік тому +86

      My grandpa loved the stuff. However, my grandpa grew up in a rural farm area in Texas. When he joined the war, canned meat was new to him. When he got back, he had a taste for the stuff. Spam, potted meat and Vienna sausages were staple foods in his house. Especially toward the end of his life when he didn't eat a whole lot. He said his taste buds are gone and the only thing he can taste, is fried Spam with crackers and cheese.

    • @silverjohn6037
      @silverjohn6037 Рік тому +36

      Probably depended on whether the soldier was combat arms (who would have been living on C and K Rations and would be grateful for a hot meal no matter what it was) or a support troop who'd have been eating at military kitchens and was facing the two hundredth day of powdered eggs and spam or chipped beef on toast.

    • @ricklepick5829
      @ricklepick5829 Рік тому +26

      Should have given him an omelet MRE and told him to think again lol

    • @leslietarkin5705
      @leslietarkin5705 Рік тому +3

      @@ricklepick5829 LOL!

    • @user-lb8do4ew6k
      @user-lb8do4ew6k Рік тому +6

      We had spam MRE's in the late 90's.

  • @cheehee808_
    @cheehee808_ Рік тому +470

    As someone who was born and raised here in Hawaii, I had no idea that spam was considered “poor food” until the internet was a thing. It was and is just a normal food here. Super versatile also, if you never tried making spam fried rice, do it; it’s delicious. Hell, if you gave me a choice I’d eat fried spam over bacon 9/10 times just cause I like it better lol. It’s ironic cause I can’t stomach Vienna sausage or bologna, spam is delicious tho. Make sure you fry it though, raw spam is gross. No one here eats it like that lmao 😂

    • @c.w.8200
      @c.w.8200 Рік тому +12

      I assume you haven't tried a good European sausage, my mom had a canned meat phase for whatever reason so I don't think I'd mind eating SPAM, just know that sausage is best in Europe, I don't like what they sell as Vienna sausage in on other continents, shouldn't be sold under that name.

    • @ericl2769
      @ericl2769 Рік тому +13

      Fellow spam lover here, raw spam is delicious

    • @themagus5906
      @themagus5906 11 місяців тому +3

      @@ericl2769 Don't knock raw Spam in a time of war; it has its own key to open it. And it's just as delicious as eating a can of Underwood Deviled Ham or Chicken. Just bring some crackers if you have them!

    • @flowwithtrees9248
      @flowwithtrees9248 10 місяців тому +1

      thanks for the tip, im going to cook it over rice with eggs

    • @Hapasan808
      @Hapasan808 9 місяців тому +3

      SPAM fried-rice foreva my local bradda. Tell the tourist to go to Big City Diner. Aloha 🤙

  • @Animeaddiction
    @Animeaddiction 11 місяців тому +39

    There's a story that the Japanese got hooked on SPAM during and after WWII. During the battle of Okinawa, Japanese troops were dying of starvation and soldiers would often break into American PX stations and the first thing they stole were cans of SPAM. After the war and occupation of Japan, tons of SPAM were shipped to Japan.

  • @sipofsunkist9016
    @sipofsunkist9016 9 місяців тому +3

    i love the thought of some hard ass vet just rubbing his rifle with a brick of spam.

    • @handle-schmandle
      @handle-schmandle 9 місяців тому +3

      Never heard it called “rubbing his rifle” before.

  • @JergBizcochino
    @JergBizcochino Рік тому +165

    Fried slices of spam, white rice, eggs (and aguacate if available) will always be one of my favorite simple go-to meals. If you grow up with Spam you tend to love it forever and if you didn’t, it’s a bit hard to understand I would imagine. Never change, Spam. Never change.

    • @LightsJusticeZ
      @LightsJusticeZ Рік тому +5

      SPAM, scrambled eggs, and white rice is probably my goto breakfast. Sometimes I'll switch out the SPAM for Vienna Sausage or bacon.

    • @johnr797
      @johnr797 9 місяців тому +3

      If you're not gonna say avocado, why not call rice 米?

  • @JavnuteeGaming
    @JavnuteeGaming Рік тому +84

    I grew up in Hawaii. Spam is a staple. I grew up saying " Spam... some parts are meat "

    • @stupedasso6819
      @stupedasso6819 11 місяців тому +15

      @Lurch yeah OK. Lol I love SPAM
      Get triggered much on the internet?
      I simply stated something that I grew up saying, along with everyone else I knew in Hawaii. I'm sorry if that offends you, but its history. this was over thirty years ago. sorry again

    • @meltin9026
      @meltin9026 10 місяців тому +2

      @@stupedasso6819don’t apologize for their idiocy

  • @Jangocat
    @Jangocat 9 місяців тому +4

    Spam is great sliced thin and fried. My mother used to bake it over mac and cheese and that was great. It was always a staple for camping trips.

  • @glenngriffon8032
    @glenngriffon8032 Рік тому +17

    SPAM is one of the greatest canned foods ever made. It's kept me from starvation. A cheap food that is filling and goes well with lots of other foods. BBQ it, saute it, fry it, add it to beans or rice or mac n cheese. Make a grilled SPAM n cheese sammich or just eat it plain and cold out the can.
    I love SPAM.

  • @tropezando
    @tropezando Рік тому +234

    Spam is made to be crispy. People who don't like it are probably eating it cold and soggy, and while that's fine and safe to do because it's precooked, it's leagues better hot and crisped. It isn't meant to be eaten as pate, and just like you wouldn't eat a cold hot dog or a frozen nugget without cooking it, the way to success is to heat it up. Saute it/pan fry it and experience joy ✨
    Edit: And to those who complain it's too salty - you arent supposed to eat a whole can at once! Do you eat a whole pack of bacon at once? A whole pound of beef or other meat? A whole bag of chips? Lol. You combine it with other things, guys.

    • @deirdregibbons5609
      @deirdregibbons5609 Рік тому +4

      You are right!

    • @simplyaregularguy131
      @simplyaregularguy131 Рік тому +1

      how long would you suggest cooking it in a microwave?

    • @SimplySchaun
      @SimplySchaun Рік тому +7

      Yes! My mom always made us fried spam sandwiches and I still love them to this day!

    • @adamn2993
      @adamn2993 11 місяців тому +8

      Its pretty solid right out of the can too

    • @robertoroberto9798
      @robertoroberto9798 11 місяців тому +2

      @@simplyaregularguy131 15-30 seconds. The water content inside it heats up QUICK.

  • @jamesleung2450
    @jamesleung2450 Рік тому +298

    I can understand not liking SPAM if you eat it raw from the can, but just a little bit of cooking makes it so much better

    • @ramvincentpaulvictor4365
      @ramvincentpaulvictor4365 Рік тому +20

      Frying it until at least the edfes were crispy is where it's at its best too :)

    • @uberdice
      @uberdice Рік тому +78

      I actually think most people who don't like it just ate it raw like barbarians.

    • @ramvincentpaulvictor4365
      @ramvincentpaulvictor4365 Рік тому +19

      @@uberdice
      Agreed. I can still tolerate it but only when I'm too lazy or too hungry to prepare it. Simply frying it works wonders. Goes really well with lots of things too like eggs, rice, potato wedges, etc.

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 Рік тому +4

      Generally, the first two slices out of the can I'll eat "raw." After that, I usually fry it up.

    • @cletusmandeletusman2328
      @cletusmandeletusman2328 11 місяців тому +9

      @@uberdice and I think you’re right! It’s very understandable that many people wouldn’t like *cold, canned meat* but when cooked? The margin for error suddenly shrinks exponentially!

  • @Orinslayer
    @Orinslayer 11 місяців тому +19

    I was very surprised to see how few ingredients are actually in spam when I looked at the can one time.

  • @tacticalpossum7090
    @tacticalpossum7090 11 місяців тому +5

    People underestimate just how much relief we sent through Lend-Lease. When I was in Russia I brought my host family a can of Spam as an "American" gift and they practically cried at the smell.

  • @JWolfman
    @JWolfman Рік тому +63

    Austin, Minnesota (about three hours' drive south of Minneapolis) has the SPAM Museum that reveals a lot about what this video spoke about, and as of this writing, admission is still free.

    • @josephgaviota
      @josephgaviota Рік тому +1

      Sounds like a great thing to visit.

    • @polarsquidd269
      @polarsquidd269 9 місяців тому

      actually about 2 hour drive :DD

    • @horsenuts1831
      @horsenuts1831 8 місяців тому

      A museum is where Spam belongs.

  • @NewMessage
    @NewMessage Рік тому +76

    I just hope they sent that 'We're up for the Spam jokes' statement to everyone by email.

    • @hehhehheh4588
      @hehhehheh4588 8 місяців тому

      *slow clap*
      Well done, friend. Well done.

  • @mooseymcflurffycat3018
    @mooseymcflurffycat3018 8 місяців тому +4

    My friend who’s half Hawaiian one time made me pan fried pineapples and spam. It turned me into a believer.

  • @D__Lee
    @D__Lee 6 місяців тому +2

    Many years ago, I read an article about South Pacific headhunters who only recently stopped eating their enemies (cannibalism). During WW2, US soldiers gave them SPAM and they said it had the same texture and taste (saltiness) of human flesh. They LOVED it because it reminded them of their headhunting days.

  • @PhantomLover007
    @PhantomLover007 Рік тому +39

    My grandfather served in the Pacific theatre, he refused to eat spam after the war. He said he ate so much that he had spam “coming out of his ears“. I like to eat it from time to time fried with dippy eggs. Really love spam musubi.

  • @TheOldDragoon
    @TheOldDragoon Рік тому +21

    Spam, potatoes, and onions fried up in a cast-iron skillet. One of my favorite meals that my Mom used to make.

  • @TheMilitantHorse
    @TheMilitantHorse 9 місяців тому +5

    I don't think you can ever go wrong with SPAM. It's good for a quick breakfast, lunch, or supper. Super easy to keep, and stores well. The meat that won WW2 will always have a place in my cabinet.

  • @ahhamartin
    @ahhamartin 3 дні тому

    Working at the VA, you could tell how close to the front vets were in World War Two simply by asking if they remembered SPAM fondly. "Sick of it" = REMF, whereas documented combat trops (especially several Guadacanal Marines) said they LOVED it if they could get it.

  • @kinodzeedza
    @kinodzeedza Рік тому +26

    Spam is still a staple in a lot of rural villages in Alaska as well, just like Pilot Bread. You can find spam musubi in stores and gas stations around Anchorage, which I thought was normal until I moved to the Lower 48.

    • @sjerkins
      @sjerkins Рік тому +1

      I wish you could get Pilot Bread in the lower 48 without having to pay exhorbitant shipping. Pilot Bread is made in a factory in Virginia but you can't find it at all in the mid atlantic states. Pilot bread slathered with some head cheese and port wine cheddar is fantastic hurricane food. (as in shelf stable pantry fodder for when the hurricane downs the power lines and it takes a few days to weeks to get repaired)

    • @nhmooytis7058
      @nhmooytis7058 Рік тому

      Musubi is big here in Hawaii.

  • @adamdoezema1318
    @adamdoezema1318 Рік тому +119

    During the first days of the pandemic shortages, Spam was one of the few things remaining on shelves.

    • @fredfry5100
      @fredfry5100 Рік тому +4

      Remain on the shelves good, or remain on the shelves bad?

    • @scowler7200
      @scowler7200 Рік тому +26

      @@fredfry5100
      Both.

    • @biggreenblob
      @biggreenblob Рік тому +2

      Really? It was all done for weeks when the TP shortage hit around my place

    • @sudokuacrobatics
      @sudokuacrobatics 11 місяців тому +1

      That's a blessing by God in my country

    • @robotnikkkk001
      @robotnikkkk001 11 місяців тому +1

      =BECAUSE OF THERE WAS ENOUGH SPAM ALREADY AT HOME,I GUESS
      =....................

  • @JJP316
    @JJP316 9 місяців тому +1

    This guy never draws the direct line between Monty Python and how SPAM emails were named.

  • @cmclem1959
    @cmclem1959 11 місяців тому +5

    Yes, I grew up on SPAM and I still love it at age 64 and was very surprised when I went to Hawaii and found how popular it was, ever had a SPAM McMuffin? It's a real sandwich at McD's.

  • @rhinox3474
    @rhinox3474 Рік тому +20

    Spam is one of those foods when you ask a person if they like it they say gross but then proceed to say they have never tried it.

    • @registereduser
      @registereduser Рік тому +3

      You got me there. I would defend myself in that my reasoning is I’m just not into pork in general, but I suppose someday I’ll try it.

    • @infernalstan886
      @infernalstan886 Рік тому +3

      Or they have tried it and concluded it's a horrendously salty gelatine mess

    • @strangeman9362
      @strangeman9362 9 місяців тому +3

      ​@@infernalstan886yeah because they ate it raw

  • @SkylarTrahan
    @SkylarTrahan Рік тому +19

    Fried spam on bread with mustard will always be the best

    • @dougiebuckets1364
      @dougiebuckets1364 Рік тому +2

      I knew there had to be others like me! I add dill pickles too.

    • @SkylarTrahan
      @SkylarTrahan Рік тому

      @@dougiebuckets1364 never thought about adding pickles will have to try that as well, thanks!

    • @0daadaadaa0
      @0daadaadaa0 11 місяців тому +1

      I personally add some sauteed onions to that mix. And sometimes replace mustard with honey mustard.

    • @SkylarTrahan
      @SkylarTrahan 11 місяців тому

      @@0daadaadaa0 honey mustard sounds pretty good with spam, never really tried it. Not a big onion person so I don’t know if I could bring myself to do that, but appreciate the different takes on spam!

  • @punawelewele
    @punawelewele 10 місяців тому +3

    I'm from Hawaii where SPAM is commonly used and enjoyed by nearly everyone. Here nearly every corner store and gas station sells SPAM musubi's, which is spam on a square of rice wrapped in nori seaweed. A common breakfast plate here is bacon, SPAM, and eggs. And we put SPAM in lots of different dishes like chow fun noodles and fried rice.

  • @JayEmGe
    @JayEmGe 5 місяців тому +2

    "But slow Cookers were still decades away"
    You do realize that slow cooking now was normal cooking then right?

    • @edwardpate6128
      @edwardpate6128 5 місяців тому

      Heavy roasting pans were in every kitchen.

  • @leonsjacketre4
    @leonsjacketre4 Рік тому +121

    I actually prefer spam lite. Way less salty and greasy, its far less overwhelming on the palette. If you don't like normal spam I think you'd prefer that. Word of warning, if you wanna fry it still, add a bit of oil, theres not enough in the lite version to fry well.

    • @LightsJusticeZ
      @LightsJusticeZ Рік тому +11

      Agreed that the Lite version is a bit dryer. I find the 25% Less Sodium version to be the best of both worlds - less sodium but still fries crispy on it's own.

    • @imwithstupid086
      @imwithstupid086 Рік тому +12

      @@LightsJusticeZ 25% is the best. Lite is already kind of disgusting.

    • @leonsjacketre4
      @leonsjacketre4 11 місяців тому +7

      @@lurch789 Yeah but it is still too salty for me, I like spam lite for less grease 'and' salt. If you have a very liquidous food like soup or a stew, normal spam is fine, it gets mellowed and leeches into the whole food. But I like spam when its fried in a sandwich, or in mac and cheese, that sorta thing. Lite works for me there.

    • @Russo-Delenda-Est
      @Russo-Delenda-Est 9 місяців тому

      Spam lite is by far their best product. It doesn't burn my mouth with salt and leave me guzzling water for hours after eating it. Add a little olive oil and it fries up just fine too. It also has a meaty texture, instead of dissolving like slime. The regular stuff is just too slimy and too salty imo.

    • @ShutupandListen
      @ShutupandListen 9 місяців тому +2

      Just add so honey on it then cook, and it completely gets rid of that super salty taste 😂

  • @8antipode9
    @8antipode9 Рік тому +16

    To this day, the way Graham Chapman shrieks out "BUT I DON'T LIKE SPAM!!", makes me laugh out loud every single time.

  • @MrSkysenGames
    @MrSkysenGames 6 місяців тому +1

    It's one of those foods that I'd eat if naught else was present, but wouldn't go out of my way to have.
    Fried in a skillet was the most palatable to me. Something about the slight crunch helped the texture.

  • @randallstewart1224
    @randallstewart1224 8 місяців тому

    My father was an auditor for Price Waterhouse in the late 1940s and 1950s. Part of his job was doing audits for Swift & Co., the makers of Spam. Having reviewed the manufacturing facilities and processes for making Spam, he forbade my mother from ever purchasing it.

  • @KevinWindsor1971
    @KevinWindsor1971 Рік тому +9

    Breaded and fried SPAM sticks dipped in Sweet Baby Ray's honey barbecue sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods.

  • @znep2751
    @znep2751 Рік тому +16

    I've only had Spam one day in my life. It was roughly 20 years ago, I was at the Warped Tour, a punk rock music festival. There was a Spam truck there giving out free samples. So that was all I ate all day. I didn't hate it.

    • @jonhelmer8591
      @jonhelmer8591 11 місяців тому

      Real Punks never ate Spam, as I remember it was a Prog Rock thing.

    • @johnr6963
      @johnr6963 9 місяців тому

      Same here, at warped tour in 2000. Also had yoo-hoo spat in my face for a prize. Good times.

    • @jordanchamberlain4377
      @jordanchamberlain4377 9 місяців тому +1

      @@johnr6963please tell me it was an attractive woman

    • @johnr6963
      @johnr6963 9 місяців тому +1

      @@jordanchamberlain4377 I could tell you that...but then id be lying.

  • @mattg8369
    @mattg8369 10 місяців тому +1

    I'm 49 and grew up and love SPAM! I have 4 or 5 tins of it in my pantry as we speak. Not that it does much most likely, but I buy the low sodium. I do have 2 tins of the figgy pudding limited edition from last Christmas as well.

  • @KlaxontheImpailr
    @KlaxontheImpailr 8 місяців тому

    I can picture a drunk guy trying to say spiced ham but saying spam instead.

  • @edgarbanuelos6472
    @edgarbanuelos6472 Рік тому +23

    Some days when I don't feel like making anything I'll just open up a can of spam and spend the next 3 hours slowly eating away at it.

    • @Macks1913
      @Macks1913 Рік тому +1

      Cube it up and stir it in eggs

    • @edgarbanuelos6472
      @edgarbanuelos6472 Рік тому +2

      @@Macks1913 I prefer it by itself

    • @Zantreful
      @Zantreful Рік тому +1

      ​@@edgarbanuelos6472You're cooking it though, right? Right?!

    • @edgarbanuelos6472
      @edgarbanuelos6472 Рік тому +1

      @@Zantreful No.

    • @0daadaadaa0
      @0daadaadaa0 11 місяців тому +2

      @@Zantreful SPAM without being fried is fine - it did serve as a MRE after all (meaning it's already cooked by the time it makes it to the can).

  • @TheCrapman50
    @TheCrapman50 Рік тому +11

    SPAM actually takes me back to my childhood where my grandparents who's in the states back then when they were still with us, would send large care packages filled with cans of SPAM, vienna sausages, candy bars, shampoo, soap, and other stuff not readily available in the Philippines back then.

  • @thesisypheanjournal1271
    @thesisypheanjournal1271 9 місяців тому

    When Hormel tried to sue Disney, the judge threw the case out, saying, "The American people are able to distinguish between a puppet and a lunchmeat.'

  • @KlaxontheImpailr
    @KlaxontheImpailr 8 місяців тому

    Dude, sponsoring Monty Python is a huge pro gamer move. 🎉

  • @Backroad_Junkie
    @Backroad_Junkie Рік тому +10

    Spam is like White Castle. About once a year, I need to eat some. Then I'm good for another year. (Sliced, fried, then served with eggs, or in a sandwich.)
    During the pandemic, I picked up a few cans of Underwood Deviled Ham spread. Mmmmm... Hadn't had that stuff in years.
    There's also Corned Beef (usually from Argentina) and tuna fish, but Spam is the king of preserved meat, lol...

    • @impudentdomain
      @impudentdomain Рік тому

      underwood deviled ham is my secret ingredient in chilie or sauces to make them rich and tasty, but you have to put less salt than you would other wise do.

  • @paullukis3315
    @paullukis3315 Рік тому +12

    Spam always makes it into our "struggle" or emergency cabinet along with canned chicken and tuna, 20lbs of rice and a similar amount of beans. But it is always the first out when we have to rotate because it makes such a good breakfast side or part of a grilled cheese!

  • @ralphbalfoort2909
    @ralphbalfoort2909 4 місяці тому

    Several years ago I used to listen to rebroadcasts of late 1930's shows, and one of them, the George and Gracie Allen show, featured Spam as one of its new sponsors. To this day I keep a can of Spam on my pantry shelves.

  • @alexfrideres1198
    @alexfrideres1198 9 місяців тому

    my grandpa always said "i do not want powdered eggs and spam, i do not want them, uncle sam"

  • @morganschiller2288
    @morganschiller2288 Рік тому +28

    The fun memories I have of my grandma is eating spam grilled with a pineapple ring on it. Didn’t touch it again for 20 years till my bestie rekindled my love for the meat jello. Due to watching what I eat spam went back on the shelf

    • @paulleach3612
      @paulleach3612 Рік тому +1

      Pineapple topped fried SPAM, that was a weekly treat in our house.

    • @iclite3656
      @iclite3656 2 місяці тому

      Meat jello😂

  • @jeffnaslund
    @jeffnaslund Рік тому +60

    Always good to have several cans of this stuff on hand. You never know when you might need emergency food. Great with eggs!

    • @civlyzed
      @civlyzed 9 місяців тому +1

      I keep a few cans on hand at both of my cabins, and for some reason it just tastes better there vs. at home. Maybe because of the physical activity, hiking, chopping firewood, etc., and just that everything cooked over a campfire or on a camp stove seems to taste better!

    • @k-leb4671
      @k-leb4671 9 місяців тому +1

      @@civlyzed You have two cabins?

    • @civlyzed
      @civlyzed 9 місяців тому

      @@k-leb4671 Yes, as I mentioned 😀

    • @judyjohnson9610
      @judyjohnson9610 8 місяців тому +1

      @@civlyzed It's good camping food

  • @transmaster
    @transmaster 8 місяців тому

    Nobody talks about the inspiration for SPAM, The Taylor Ham Roll from New Jersey. It first came out in 1855 and was a staple with Union Soldiers during the Civil War.

  • @jvmoye
    @jvmoye 8 місяців тому

    I took the boy scouts to the SPAM museum when I was a scout leader years ago. It was one of our favorite field trips. The SPAM Girls at the place treated us real nice as they served us samples of baked SPAM.

  • @ghw7192
    @ghw7192 Рік тому +15

    It is still (in 2023) relatively cheap, can either be eaten straight from the can or prepared 1,000's of different ways, and has a meaningless expiration date. I prefer the low sodium or lite varieties, but the original is just fine. My career Army father refused to eat SPAM, so I rarely had it growing up. Thankfully, it no longer has that risk slicing your fingers off key to open the can! Fun video! Thanks!

    • @felsinferguson1125
      @felsinferguson1125 Рік тому

      SPAM - the meat with a half-life! :) 'Tis said that after the nuclear exchange that will come to be called "WW3", the only things to survive will be cockroaches, Keith Richards, Twinkies, and SPAM. But seriously, as noted elsewhere, lotsa love for SPAM from me. Tasty by itself, or too many other possible ways to eat it, and with a shelf-life that approaches "eternity", there's no way I'll be without a stockpile of it to go with the beans, rice, and assorted other "prepper groceries".

  • @basedbigfoot
    @basedbigfoot Рік тому +6

    I love spam for camping cause it’s quick and I don’t need to worry about ice

    • @Backroad_Junkie
      @Backroad_Junkie Рік тому +2

      We made sure we had some spam when bicycle camping. That you could cook it or eat it raw (well, uncooked) was a real plus!

  • @MrPwner911
    @MrPwner911 5 місяців тому +2

    I've had spam musubi at a local ramen shop I frequent, it was surprisingly tasty the first time I had it.
    Also while it is edible cold, you're better off cooking it since it will taste way better as a result.

  • @IRUNASSULT
    @IRUNASSULT 8 місяців тому

    I never knew spam emails were named after the product.
    Always thought it was just a coincidence

  • @paulyiustravelogue
    @paulyiustravelogue Рік тому +87

    I love the jokes and humor in this episode, great stuff! By the way, I make spam fried rice for my family every now and then, and they actually love it and even ask for it.

  • @stanford-nf4jk
    @stanford-nf4jk Рік тому +28

    I didn’t like it as a kid. We had it a LOT. Fast forward to the new Millenium and I tried it again, and I liked it. The recipe must have changed because I called my mom and asked her to buys some and she said it tasted differently. I suspect that the ‘Reduced Sodium’ variety became the default version. It’s great prepared with some chopped onions, peppers, and garlic wrapped in a flour tortilla. Talk about a breakfast burrito! 👨‍🍳 😘🤌

  • @thegamingpigeon3216
    @thegamingpigeon3216 11 місяців тому +4

    In my experience, most of the disgust with Spam comes from most peoples first experience being eating it uncooked, in which yeah, I agree, it ain't the best. But cooked? Fried? Spam is damn good!

  • @jodiecarlson6955
    @jodiecarlson6955 4 місяці тому

    I went to the Spam museum here in Minnesota recently. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of Spam, or that it was such a huge thing in WWII.

  • @rayzearscorner5041
    @rayzearscorner5041 Рік тому +7

    I always have a can or two in my pantry. Don't have it everyday, but when I do I love it.

  • @natehill8069
    @natehill8069 Рік тому +8

    I always wonder if the people at Hormel have a hard time getting emails to go through...

  • @jamesquinn8558
    @jamesquinn8558 9 місяців тому

    As a child my mother made me cold spam sandwiches that I couldn’t stomach but I cooked it on radiators at school and that made all the difference.

  • @DerGottDesChaos
    @DerGottDesChaos 8 місяців тому

    SPAM going with the flow of the internet was probably the best idea they had in that moment. If they tried to fight it, it would have probably become some streisand-effect disaster.

  • @moonasha
    @moonasha Рік тому +15

    I feel like most people who "hate" spam have never actually tried it. It's surprisingly good, especially some of the whacky flavors

    • @johnjimbob6173
      @johnjimbob6173 8 місяців тому +2

      I think a lot of people who hate it haven't had it cooked. It's pretty gross without being fried up, but once you fry it on both sides and get it a bit crunchy it's actually super tasty

    • @stormisuedonym4599
      @stormisuedonym4599 4 місяці тому

      I've had it, and cooked, too. It is _far_ from my favorite.

  • @xlderecklx
    @xlderecklx Рік тому +10

    My mother would prepare spam (classic) with eggs, black beans, tortillas, and queso crema. It was simple to make and tasted great. I myself buy the less sodium version every once in a while (in my pantry now actually) if I'm feeling lazy to cook and have everything else in stock. I'm curious to try it alongside some of these Hawaiian dishes though!

  • @MechTronMan
    @MechTronMan 8 місяців тому

    I like how they are continuously reported as SPAM on Sosial media pages xD

  • @MysticdestructionAJ
    @MysticdestructionAJ 9 місяців тому

    SPAM was my childhood, omg. A lot of Hong Kong cafes serve it with eggs as a replacement for bacon.

  • @oogafoo
    @oogafoo Рік тому +15

    im partly from hawaii and grew up on spam.
    musubis are incredible, and i dont think that's just a bias, because everyone ive given musubis to loved them even if they didnt like spam

    • @Unregistered.HyperCam.2
      @Unregistered.HyperCam.2 10 місяців тому

      Musubi was the reason I tried spam in the first place. Musubi was amazing, and spam by itself was pretty good as well.

  • @thunderslug2722
    @thunderslug2722 Рік тому +7

    SPAM got me through college. Cheap and you can cook it in many ways!

  • @ds-iv8gn
    @ds-iv8gn 4 місяці тому

    I was stationed in Okinawa with the Marines, apparently spam is also super popular in the rest of the pacific islands and not just Hawaii. All the convenience stores out there sold the spam musubi with scrambled egg. Apparently in ww2, marines in the South Pacific often gave their spam rations to locals and the locals still love it to this day.

  • @skulliomax
    @skulliomax 11 місяців тому +2

    Fried spam with Mac n cheese is such a simple, cheap and tasty dish. You won't win any competitions with it, but you'll enjoy eating it!

  • @rushnerd
    @rushnerd Рік тому +7

    My English teacher in high school had us watch the entirety of Band of Brothers and we had a spam sandwich party afterwards. It was a blast and I still enjoy the stuff fried on a breakfast sandwich.

  • @paulrash8861
    @paulrash8861 Рік тому +3

    A can of spam is mandatory on all my camping trips...lol...been a tradition for a lot of years😊

  • @ianfinrir8724
    @ianfinrir8724 10 днів тому

    My favorite thing about Spam is part of the original jingle stated that Spam "saves time, tastes fine." They didn't say it tasted great, they didn't say it tasted good. They said it tasted "fine." They knew from the beginning.

  • @thesmirkingwolf
    @thesmirkingwolf 10 місяців тому

    During the war, we had a platoon in our infantry company that had a large number of Samoans and Pacific Islanders in it. When we were out in sector, they would always have an abundance of Spam.
    Third Platoon was dubbed 'Spam Platoon"

  • @aaabbbeee
    @aaabbbeee Рік тому +11

    I was born and raised in Hawaii. We're all at least 10% SPAM out there. I still eat it to this day

  • @Thanos_Kyriakopoulos
    @Thanos_Kyriakopoulos 4 місяці тому +1

    It's cheap, it's tasty and you don't die instantly, the recipe for success 😂

  • @suiken3149
    @suiken3149 10 місяців тому +2

    Here in the Philippines, it's considered a luxury canned goods. If you regularly buy one, you are considered financially stable enough. Though it have more affordable Chinese rival in Ma-Ling

  • @tffkap
    @tffkap Рік тому +12

    I had an uncle that worked for Hormel in Austin and he would say SPAM meant spare parts and meat!

    • @spoonky85
      @spoonky85 10 місяців тому

      I'm sure if we knew what wad in it, we wouldn't eat it. I've never had it, but I'd like to try it

  • @jvsmith7888
    @jvsmith7888 Рік тому +6

    I love SPAM. The first time I ever had it was as part of a school lunch. I didn't like it much as a kid but by the time I was an adult I thought it was great. Strange thing though, I spent 32 years in the military (active duty and reserves) and I don't recall ever seeing SPAM except in C-rations.

  • @wacojones8062
    @wacojones8062 7 місяців тому

    Right now I have 8 plus cases of SPAM along with canned miniature hams, canned Tuna can salmon and corned beef. I mix packaged flavored rice diced SPAM or any of the other meats and shredded cheese with a liberal amount of butter to start with.

  • @briankrasne3518
    @briankrasne3518 10 місяців тому +1

    I'd only eat that as a last alternative in a nuclear apocalypse.

  • @Robslondon
    @Robslondon Рік тому +3

    Spam fritters were a staple of my childhood!

  • @roseprevost5876
    @roseprevost5876 Рік тому +12

    I actually love it, and DO eat it out of the can sometimes...Dip it in some mustard, and it's delicious.

    • @brandonberner5467
      @brandonberner5467 Рік тому +1

      What type of mustard do you recommend?

    • @pattyepperson3908
      @pattyepperson3908 Рік тому +1

      ​@@brandonberner5467I like honey mustard to dip it into and plain yellow mustard on a sandwich. Yummy 😋.

    • @chrisd5964
      @chrisd5964 Рік тому +2

      Thai sweet chilli sauce. Trust me on this.

    • @Oturan20
      @Oturan20 11 місяців тому +2

      I'm a bit weird. Sometimes I eat it cooked, sometimes I eat it out of the can... Other times I put it in the fridge and eat it Cold.

  • @user-yl8dv3wp7t
    @user-yl8dv3wp7t 5 місяців тому

    7:19 it was acctually called "canned stewed meat" it has been shortened to tushenka and now we have local manufacturers producing it, exept it doesn't look like spam at all. Nobody eats it on a daily basis, only when they go camping

  • @dongilleo9743
    @dongilleo9743 8 місяців тому

    There's a scene in the 1949 movie "Battleground" involving SPAM. The American paratroopers are surrounded in Bastogne during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge. They're running low of everything; food, ammunition, etc. Just when things seem most desperate, the sky clears, and American transport planes are overhead, dropping supplies by parachute.
    As the bundles land, the men tear into them like kids opening presents on Christmas morning. One bundle is all Type C or K rations. "All diners", one soldier glumly remarks. Another soldier cuts open and spills it's contents out. It's an entire bundle of cans of SPAM. No one says anything. There's just this silent exchange of glances; a mixture of disgust, despair, and revulsion.
    I've always thought that this scene, in a movie just 4-5 years after the war, must have been put in there for the many veterans who would be filling the theater. I imagine they probably reacted to this scene with boos, laughter, groans, and poking their wife or girlfriend in the ribs and saying, "we hated that stuff!"

  • @PasleyAviationPhotography
    @PasleyAviationPhotography Рік тому +5

    I am literally frying up some for breakfast when I came across this video

  • @buckanderson3520
    @buckanderson3520 8 місяців тому

    I remember my mom packing me a spam sandwich for lunch one time, it went in the trash and I went hungry.

  • @nzzl1
    @nzzl1 9 місяців тому

    It cooked is the way to go but straight out the Can is different 💀

  • @carschmn
    @carschmn Рік тому +4

    Highly recommend visiting the Spam museum in Austin MN

    • @cheese671GU
      @cheese671GU Рік тому

      Agreed. Great people and great museum.

  • @princesabonita79
    @princesabonita79 Рік тому +15

    i feel sorry for the people who say they dont like spam because they're only eaten it cold (unfried).

    • @ridureyu
      @ridureyu Рік тому +8

      I’ve found that many meat products taste better when cooked.

    • @chocoloc1980
      @chocoloc1980 Рік тому +2

      Never had it straight out the can..
      always cooked, and I still don't like it

    • @essaboselin5252
      @essaboselin5252 Рік тому +1

      The lower sodium product is better than the regular stuff. Way too much salt for me.

    • @RavensSoTired4081
      @RavensSoTired4081 Рік тому

      It is gross

  • @dmsdmullins
    @dmsdmullins 8 місяців тому

    My grand-uncle was a Korean war POW. He always had dozens of cans of SPAM in the house. If someone brought in a cup of rice though, they were likely to get stabbed or shot to death.

  • @DS-re4vs
    @DS-re4vs Рік тому +3

    Loved on Guam when my husband was stationed there. In the Denny’s you can get the “Island Slam” that had a few slices of Spam on the plate

  • @gardenlifelove9815
    @gardenlifelove9815 Рік тому +5

    Spam not only taste good, it makes good fish bait too

    • @infernalstan886
      @infernalstan886 Рік тому

      Let's hope the 2nd half of that is right at least