When was the last time you had SPAM? Not email junk but the processed luncheon meat that is still a national joke?
Well, if you were chez F-C last night, you would have been in for a treat. It caught my eye in Waitrose at the weekend and so I popped a can in the trolley, never expecting to eat it. Like tins of morello cherries in syrup or jars of Spanish peppers in chili oil, it could sit there for all eternity. The figs in port from Chrismas '93 are still there somewhere, I'm sure.
But with nothing in the fridge apart from a bit of ropey old salad, eat it I did. Mrs F-C turned her nose up of course, fearing gristle, but when she saw the miniature pink slabs nestling among my radishes, she couldn't resist a nibble. And she was pleasantly surprised. It's actually really tasty.
I've always been a fan since childhood. My grandma used to do SPAM on toast, which meant slices were put on already toasted bread under the grill, where it would brown slightly. It was delicious. I didn't get that far as the whole can went, so I'll be buying it again for that very purpose.
I'm not sure why people think it's so hilarious. Is it Monty Python? Did they single-handedly kill it off as a relevant foodstuff with their Spam Song? Because it's nothing more than a punchline these days. Spamalot doesn't help its cause either. People think it's nasty old factory-produced compressed bits of eyelid and trotter fat. Which may be true of course, but as for it being horrible and tasteless, I beg to differ.
Take my advice and try some. Today!
