Last night was our SPAM meeting. 'SPAM' being the St Paul's mens meeting. A chance to escape the women and talk freely. Being Locked Down we had to meet on Zoom, this is not the best way to meet but it had to do. Eight noble men met happily together, until it was discovered two wives were in attendance just out of the picture, plus one who kept bursting in accidentally! These women cannot be trusted can they? Or is it the men they canny trust, I wonder?
The discussion ranged wild and free, especially as the whisky took hold. I myself indicated I was only drinking water. "What proof is that?" came a voice, "37:5," came the answer... It is good to see faces you have not seen for a year, not the easiest way to do it, but all that we have and we just got on with it.
The meeting broke up at 9:30 when the wives arrived to take everybody home.
However, after this I cogitated on 'Spam.' I mean, as kids we ate Spam Fritters often, and it appeared to me at the time to be food. I tried some a wee while ago and could not in any way find a connection between 'spam' and foodstuff. It tasted, er, unusual. Maybe it was the make, maybe it was me, but how on earth did we survive this? And the stuff still sells as a quick look at any shop shelf will show. Created in 1837 when an American company had too much Pork Shoulder to cry on. He mixed this with Ham and cooked it in the can, I did not seek to know how, and made millions! Having begun in time for the war he sent billions of cans to feed the US army, billions to the UK to feed everyone there, and billions of cane elsewhere, even the Soviet Union got them. There is no doubt that he made money but saved many lives, and a few taste buds then.
Of course the real reason people turned to Spam during the war was the vast amount of Corned Beef, 'Bully Beef' that was forced down the throat. Spam arriving in 1941 tasted of something, constant corned beef does not. There again I suspect constant Spam will soon become a bore but with little meat of any sort available during war, not counting the 'Black Market,' then Spam was a treat.
I found this reference: "Paul
Theroux, in his book 'The Happy Isles of Oceania,' seems to claim
that Spam was popular in countries that used to have cannibalism
because it tasted like human flesh." Does any one have any idea if
this is so? If you do, how do you know, and please keep your distance?
4 comments:
Spam was not allowed to cross our door....but a friend's mother made spam fritters when we were round there at tea time and I liked them!
Corned beef was banned as well...dog food, said father, but it did appear if staying with mother's parents and I liked it...rarity value, I suppose.....served with the inevitable British salad of the time...lettice, spring onions, cucumber and beetroot. Not forgetting salad cream.
Your Spam meeting sounds a bit like the teddy bears' picnic...'at six o'clock', etc...
Spam and pork luncheon meat. Cold or fried, as a teenager I enjoyed them but they dont taste the same to me now. Fly mentioned Corned Beef, now that is still a big favourite in out house.
Paul Theroux, don't care for him or what he thinks. If you are very hungry, you will eat Spam and it will be delicious. For those so driven to hunger to eat human flesh, I say we should not be so quick to judge. Read the book, "Alive" by Piers Paul Read. The film is amazing too. Also, there was a very good documentary about the Donner Party who were stranded in the snows of the Sierra Nevada. Also, have to tell you that Spam is very popular in Hawaii. Look it up! Spam Company does not know me!!😊
Fly, Corned beef was a constant in our house. Your dad was obviously used to better things.
Dave, Has the taste changed or have we got used to better things?
Kay, I am not eating with you, it might be the neighbour we eat!!!
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