We get a fair amount of it donated to our Foodbank and I always avoid including it in the ‘meat’ allocation for our clients if I can.
It occurred to me though that people might actually like it, hence this thread, and I shouldn’t disregard it as we don’t know our clients’ preferences when we pack the stock boxes in advance.
I don’t ever recall eating it in my childhood but know that I wouldn’t have liked it.
It's something stored away in my memory from school days, we had Spam and salad, which was okish, until a dollop of the lumpy white stuff was added, their version of mashed potato, yuk!
Other than that I seem to remember a homage to Spam by the Monty Python team that went "Spam! Spam! Spam!" in the opening chorus.
I think I've spied it the supermarket but I've never had the inclination to buy any, definitely a retro product, associated with bygone days. I think I read it was a staple food stuff in the war.
I used to get sent to the local corner shop for a quarter of spam,it used to come from a big round tin and cut on the bacon slicer,you could ask for thick or thin slices,we had thin,there was enough for our lunch with 4d of chips from the chip shop with scratchings,and some for dads sandwhiches on night shift at Fords,we would have with baked beans. Or corned beef cut the same way with tinned peas.
Quite often I picked it walking home and would get a clout for doing it,as there wouldnt be enough to go round.
Spam, like so many things retro, became rather cool and Instagrammable a few years ago (yes, one of my daughters told me that, I’d never have known!). Hot spam sandwiches certainly appeared on the menu at some of the trendier cafes round here for the first time, though our local market sandwich stall has always offered it.
I wouldn’t have thought it was a good choice for a food bank though - ours asks for things that don’t need cooking, and I don’t think many people eat it cold, do they?
Not since childhood - I wouldn't choose to eat it now but would if I had to. For me it belongs in the dim and distant past along with Fray Bentos pies and tinned hamburgers.
If I ever needed to use a foodbank it would make me feel even sadder to find a tin of Spam in the bag.
Spam egg and chips was my husbands favourite quick meal he would buy a tin then have spam sandwiches and I know he would sneak in the fridge for a slice or two made me laugh. I think he became addicted as a child as it was a cheap meal for his large but poor family. I haven’t bought any since he died but if offered it I’d eat it.
Living on my own now,I am looking at different cheaper ways to live,so as to only use airfryer or microwave. Have bought some tinned stewing steak,and a tinned chicken curry,where as before have made from scratch,both will make 2 meals,Will add fresh veg,and rice ,both steamed in microwave.
I might have turned my nose up before,but needs must,as we all have to tighten our belts,and not having anyone else to consider can try different things.
My husband likes it. It’s not my thing though, too much fat.
... too much fat
You're not wrong there - cooking it shows just how much fat, too, yuk!
I have discovered a brand of corned beef that is labelled low-fat, and it really is. Refrigerated and then thinly sliced with pickle or a tomato, it's a much better 'stand-by' than a tin of fatty Spam.
That’s interesting Dickens. My husband suddenly decided he fancied some corned beef so I have ordered a tin of the low fat option on my next grocery delivery. I quite like corned beef but haven’t had it for years. May give it a try. I don’t dislike the taste of cold Spam, though I don’t eat it, but I find the smell of it cooking when himself decides to have some is revolting.