Spam in Hawaii

I bet you are wondering what this post is about. Not email spam, but in fact SPAM in a can. That's right, the highly processed and reconstituted pork product in a can. You have to go to their website for a laugh - it's one of the funniest sites I have seen in a while. In case you didn't know, Hawaiian people are obsessed with Spam. It was introduced during World War II, when fresh meat was scarce. In the US, Hawaiian people eat the most amount of Spam per capita, with the count being over 16 cans per person each year. Hawaii is the only state in the US where Spam is featured on the McDonald's menu. Burger King in Hawaii has now started offering Spam to compete with McDonald's. Is this crazy or what? Who in their right mind would eat Spam as a replacement to fresh meat? Lots of people by the looks of it! The perception of Spam in Hawaii is very different to the perception on the mainland - it is now a staple in the diets of many in Hawaii and - I hate to say this - is sometimes considered a delicacy....ewww.

I wanted to share an article with you about Spam etiquette - this article is great - and hilarious. I want to remind my readers that I do NOT eat Spam, nor do I ever plan to. However, I do want to acknowledge that Spam is a cultural thing and I want to be respectful of that. It has been a very affordable and versatile product for a lot of people in the Islands. Just don't try and make me eat it.

The Hawaiians are so crazy about this stuff, that they host an annual Spam Jam Festival , which features live music, food (Spam obviously), crafts and a Mr or Ms. Spam Pageant. I can not wait to experience this once we get back to the Islands. Plenty of Kodak moments to be had. Yum!