By BC Cook
SPAM Loves You! So says a sign that hangs inside a grocery store in CK. Outsiders cannot understand the love affair between islanders and Spam. Let us take a moment and reflect on that wonderful, delicious, can’t-live-without canned meat.
Introduced in 1937, the name “Spam” is a blending of the words “spiced ham,” which is what it was called before that year. Roughly 100 million cans of Spam are eaten every year. 3.8 cans of Spam are consumed every second. Hawaii, Guam, and the CNMI consume the most in the U.S., 16 cans per person per year. I know someone in Kagman who consumes 30 cans per month. Because if its enormous popularity in the islands, McDonald’s restaurants in Guam, Saipan, and Hawaii offer Spam on the menu.
Once Hormel, the company that makes Spam, realized that people liked the taste and convenience of the meat, but not the high sodium and fat content, they branched out with new flavors and other changes. Today, we can feast on Classic Spam, Tabasco flavored Spam, low-sodium Spam, Lite Spam, and Turkey Spam. Other flavors include hickory, garlic, cheese, and mild Spam. There are even Spam hotdogs. If you want a quick meal but don’t want to crack open a whole can, you can now get Spam singles. For those of you on the mainland, we are sorry. Most of these Spam variations cannot be had where you are. Most are only available in the islands. That is our reward for buying tons of Spam. Perhaps if you increase your Spam intake you too can feast on Tabasco Spam.
I want to single out Bacon Spam. I’m not sure I understand this one. I love bacon and I love Spam, but since Spam is ham, isn’t this redundant? It would be like adding sirloin to your ribeye, or putting a squirt of Dr. Pepper in your Pepsi. It’s already the same product, just from different parts of the pig. At least we think so, since no one really knows what part, or parts, of the pig Spam comes from. Everyone has a theory.
Perhaps they could add a little beef to the pork and call it a Suicide Spam. Before you reject it, remember that we make a hamburger better by adding bacon, which is adding pork to beef.
The greatest irony of Spam is that, although it is hugely popular on the islands of the Pacific, it is made a thousand miles from open ocean, in Minnesota and Nebraska. In Austin, Minnesota, commonly called Spamtown, USA, there is a restaurant that sells only Spam-based dishes. There is a Spam museum there. Think of that the next time you are looking for a weekend getaway. I know a man who is planning to take his family there right now. Perhaps he should wait until the annual Spam Jam Festival. Why does anyone waste their time at Disneyworld when they could attend Spam Jam?
Why is Spam so popular in the islands? The answer has everything to do with World War Two and the scarcity of refrigeration on the islands. During the war, American forces introduced canned meats like Spam to the islands. It lasts a long time (not forever, as commonly thought. It actually has an expiration date, somewhere around 300 years) and it is pre-cooked so it can be eaten right out of the can. Many houses on Saipan do not have electricity, so they cannot keep fresh meat for very long. But canned meats can sit on the shelf until needed.
This is just a taste of the history of Spam.
Dr. BC Cook taught history for 30 years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
