SPAM

You know economic times are tough when sales of Spam go up. The New York Times has an interesting article about the origins and history of one of the most hated-upon meats. Funny how a country who loves hotdogs so much could publicly frown upon spam.

I, on the other hand, am a spam fan. I hardly eat it now, but I used to love when my dad made spam fried rice on weekend mornings when my mom was at work. I loved how it got slightly crispy on the edges.

It's interesting how geography can develop your tastebuds and food preferences. Spam is a big part of the midwest. I am pretty sure that Minnesota is the largest consumer of the product after Hawaii and apparently Guam. In fact, the Spam plant, Spam Museum (which I must go to), and Spam Jam (an annual festival) are all in Minnesota.

However, when I moved to a predominately white part of California, I hardly knew anyone who ate Spam, especially the way my dad cooked it. I once remember buying it in college with my best friend who used to eat it when she went camping, and a third roommate totally freaked out when she found it in the refrigerator. But later in life I found others, mainly Asian American kids, who also grew up on spam friend rice. Thank you American troops for bringing spam to Asia and around the world.