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Sex Wax
03-21-2008, 06:22 PM
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History of Okinawa & Spam

Most Okinawan people I know love the Spam. Spam and Goya Chanpuru, Spam in the Soba, even Spam gift packs for holidays.

"This kind of food was brought in by the Americans as emergency aid after the war and we've all eaten it since we were little, so it's more popular here than on the mainland," said a white-haired woman selling Spam at a Naha market.

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Introduced on July 5, 1937, the name "Spam" was chosen in the 1930s when the product, whose original name was far less memorable (Hormel Spiced Ham), began to lose market share. The name was chosen from multiple entries in a naming contest. A Hormel official once stated that the original meaning of the name Spam was "Shoulder of Pork And haM".[citation needed] According to writer Marguerite Patten in Spam – The Cookbook, the name was suggested by Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and the brother of a Hormel vice president, who was given a $100 prize for coming up with the name.[3] At one time, the official explanation may have been that the name was a syllabic abbreviation of "SPiced hAM", but on their official website, Hormel states that "Spam is just that. Spam."

Many jocular backronyms have been devised, such as "Something Posing As Meat" and "Spare Parts Animal Meat."[4] "Special Purpose Army Meat" has been suggested as another apocryphal backronym referring to the product's WWII roots. Another humorous substitute is Solidified Processed Additional Meats.

In Okinawa, Japan, Spam has become very popular for much the same reason as in Hawaii. Spam is even used in the traditional Okinawan dish chanpuru-, and there is also a Spam burger sold by local fast food chain Jef.
-Wikipedia

I was told by my Wifes Motherthat "Spam has bee here since the end of the War. It was good back then, and it is good now. You used to buy alot of it cheap."

I asked does she like the American Spam or the Okinawan types. She said "the American Spam tastes better, but I think the Okinawan is more healthy"

It has been part of her diet for the 60 some years.

Okinawan Spam Goya Champuru Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 goya (bitter gourd)
1 block firm tofu
1 can SPAM
3-4 eggs
2 tsps soy sauce
2 tsps sake (rice wine)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps vegetable oil
PREPARATION:
Cut a gourd in half lengthwise. Remove seeds with a spoon. Slice the goya thinly and sprinkle some salt over them. Wash the goya slices and squeeze to remove the water. Wrap tofu with paper towel and place it on a cutting board. Put another cutting board or a plate on top the tofu to remove liquid from tofu. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.Cut SPAM into slices and heat in pan. Sprinkle sea salt over SPAM. Crumble tofu in to large pieces and add in the frying pan and saute with pork. Stop the heat and place them on a plate. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan, and saute goya slices in high heat. Put cooked tofu and SPAM in the frying pan and saute with goya. Pour beaten eggs over the ingredients and mix. Put soy sauce and sake over the ingredients and mix quickly. Stop the heat.
*Makes 4 servings
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okisteve
03-21-2008, 06:32 PM
You left off 3-4 beaten eggs off the ingredients. I hate following recipes where all of a sudden you need to add something you don't have right there.

But I have used this recipe (usually with bacon, not with Spam) many times and it is great. You can add julienne carrots, thinly grated papaya, bean sprouts, etc..

Sex Wax
03-21-2008, 06:36 PM
You left off 3-4 beaten eggs off the ingredients. I hate following recipes where all of a sudden you need to add something you don't have right there.

But I have used this recipe (usually with bacon, not with Spam) many times and it is great. You can add julienne carrots, thinly grated papaya, bean sprouts, etc..

Added the eggs. Thanks. Never tried it with Papaya. Thanks for the tip.

okisteve
03-21-2008, 06:46 PM
Added the eggs. Thanks. Never tried it with Papaya. Thanks for the tip.
It's very traditional.

Muku
03-21-2008, 08:41 PM
I usually use dashino-moto for seasoning along with a bit of garlic powder.

Trail
03-21-2008, 09:55 PM
I grew up in diced Spam in scrambled eggs with cheese and also just pan fried spam with breakfast. We also ate ground spam burgers made with velevetta. My favorite use of Spam however is called an "Adam and Eve on a Raft". 2 slices of fried spam on toast or English muffin topped with cheese and the a fried egg. MMM...

mikersoft
03-22-2008, 01:53 PM
My wife makes some great Spam yakisoba. :first:

-Mike

Isaak Brodsky
03-22-2008, 04:39 PM
Oh tin of pink meat
I ponder what you may be:
Snout or ear or feet?

kombu_kid
03-22-2008, 11:12 PM
Maybe we could create an opera around this.......

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/MyCammer/3_Be-My-Wuv.jpg

Tony Stacks
03-22-2008, 11:24 PM
diced spam and corn

sliced spam with cheese, flour and breadcrumbs

diced spam scrambled eggs w/cheese

just to name a few

swindland
03-22-2008, 11:47 PM
Mcdonalds in Guam and Hawaii: rice, spam, portuguese sausage(wrong spelling) and eggs..ummmmmm.. Oh and Denny's spam fried rice ahahahahaahhah...

Sex Wax
03-23-2008, 06:24 AM
http://www.applause-tickets.com/images/spamalot-sm.jpg

Oxmix
03-23-2008, 09:19 AM
Spam is big in Korea also. :D

Regards

Ox

Sex Wax
11-14-2009, 09:00 PM
I want to try a Bacon wrapped whole Spam loaf, grilled, and covered in melted Cheddar Cheese.