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Life Sustaining Goodness


Being an Island boy, I grew with SPAM as one of my weekly staples.  Most weeks I would enjoy a meal out of that tinned pork goodness.  Back home it was prepared in various ways, but my favorite was plain fried with a side of rice-beans and TOSTONES (fried green plantains) festooning the perimeter of my plate.

So, it is no surprise that when the Brits over at an FOB in the Sangin District of Afghanistan got a logistical hiccup in their re-victualing deliveries, they got VERY creative with it.  SPAM Stroganoff... I may have to try that some time.

Article HERE.

Boq

24 Comments

I, for one, am a fan of edible spam.  Digital spam, not so much.
 
Strangely enough, I picked up my love of spam when I was stationed in Japan.

Spam okinomiyaki... yummm.
 
WARNING – TINS –
Back in ’83 when I was commanding A, 1/27 FA (8” Howitzers) we were going to convoy the battalion to Camp Guernsey, WY for our ARTEP. The battalion assembled at the mess hall (no dining facilities back then) for breakfast before LD. You guessed it – fried, greasy, nasty SPAM. We headed straight north on I-25 and hit Denver at about 0815 – right in the middle of morning rush traffic. Our instructions were to stay in the center lane and maintain convoy speed of 50 mph. I was in my Jeep – M102 (anyone remember those?) with canvas roof and safety straps – no sides, with my 1SG in the back seat, when breakfast “hit”. Since we couldn’t break convoy discipline, I leaned my head over the safety strap and let it fly – just as a nicely groomed, middle-aged lady passed us on the right in her champagne green Mercedes Benz. I can still see the look on her face as my vomit splashed onto her window and ran down the side. By this time it was all over. My 1SG was falling apart laughing, my driver was shaking at the wheel, and I was trying to not choke on the continuing flow as I also roared. Trust me – TINS – you can’t make this stuff up!!! Just sayin’. ML

 
Such a delicate flower is our Michael.
 
We used to have our Spam cubed, in pancakes. I still like it. Last week our Scout troop had a Spam carving contest; the prize was a can of smoked Spam!
 
The Burger King at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii has a SPAM sandwich on their breakfast menu. Guess there is some history behind that.
 
I think Armour Treet is better than Spam and it costs about half as much. I used to eat Spam a lot but once I tried Treet I never went back. I like to make a sweet barbecue sauce and bake the sliced Treet until it gets a nice glaze on it.

The Spam Stroganoff sounds like something I'm going to be trying shortly (with Treet) I wish they had included the recipe along with the others. The sweet and sour looks like a likely recipe too.

I have had Treet, and Spam before it, a lot of different ways, fried still being the number one way I consume it. I have a recipe for scalloped potatoes that includes ham and I substitute Treet for the ham and it works well.
 
Hell, I eat it straight from the can. 
 
Ahh, Spam from the can, it just doesn't get any better.  Add a splash of Tabasco for those festive occations and it's just right.

The linked article mentions many differant kinds now available.  Kinda surprised, never seen it.  Could be just a form of self-defense induced mental blindness.  Just can't see what I can't believe, I guess.

BTW, remember the bierschecken (spl) from the FRG 'rats in the '70s?  The closest thing to non-Spam spam I've found, kinda like Tautonic Spam.
 
You can even get Spam "sushi" in many of the little sushi shacks in Hawaii.  It wasn't half bad, although I prefered the tuna.   I like my Spam pan fried with a slice of swiss or monterrey jack cheese and a slice of pineapple.
 
okay, so while the SPAM is frying up and getting nice and crispy on the edges, you medium toast two slices of Wonder Bread.  then, just the faintest smear of chunky peanut butter on both slices..

SPAM and PB sammich!!!
 
Acaso eres Puertorro?

-La Lt-
 
Ay bendito mija, de Cupey Bajo ;-)
 
With the sin tax on Pork in the UAE, Spam costs more than steak here.  But sometimes, I just gotta splurge and fry up some cubed spam with sliced taters... yum, yum
 
Do NOT 'mija' me! So-boqui sucio! *in granma accent*

Eso de cupey "bajo" no existe! Cupey is cupey is cupey. I don't even KNOW where it is but i think its in the metro area. Pero nada, averiguo la semana que viene. Me voy a dar una perdia con rolandito tan pronto llegue! Siiiiii....

-La Lt-
 
(Boqui no se si soy muy chamaquita pero si eres de mi edad te debes acordar..)

Back home both public and private schools get free food from the government for lunch ("comedores escolares") and they have these metal trays for the food kinda like the ones in jail (the ones in jail are nicer) to which the slices of spam they served with breakfast stuck to! And this was a 'side' to this elmer glue like oatmeal... *shiver* no wonder i was 90 lbs! Anywho, and in xmas they made a 'glazed ham' (hamon con pina? correct me if im wrong) but it wasnt a ham... it was SPAM! A big thing of it with the pinaple rings stuck to it with cloves and that nasty glaze they pour ontop *gag*

-La Lt- que el spam le da fuchi!

PS : You know that HUGE block of cheese that comes in a box and isnt even sliced? I <3 federal cheese... I find a similar product in the chiken fajita mre's cheese packet! ( Never the same tho!!! )

 
Methinks the ElTee knows too much about the inner workings of jail.  Musta been a juvie, though.

And now that Boq apparently has a fellow-traveller 'Rican, I'm gonna hafta learn 'Rican so I can make sure I'm not being mocked behind my back... 
 
I would never mock you behind your back, much less in your own home :-)

-L'Lt-
 
Oh great; there goes the neighborhood!  Two Ricans at Castle Argghhh! o/\o (high five)

It was at lunchtime at school where I had most of my SPAM lunches.  Doña Amelia sure did some magic with what the Department of Agriculture gave her to work with.  And if you flipped the metal trays, you'd see the stamp that said: PROPERTY OF THE U.S. ARMY 1942.  Every time I go back to the Island, I get my jonesin' out of the system by going to El Obrero.  El Obrero is a un-assuming "Rican" Dinner across the road from "El Terminal de Guaguas de Rio Piedras". 

Sometimes living in exile is not that easy.

 
Hey, Boq - I ate off those trays too - at DoD schools in Germany and France...  not too mention Basic. 

I like those trays.

L'Lt - So, ya won't mock me behind my back in my own house - does that mean to my face, or do I need to read between the lyrics?

; ^)
 
Yes I mock people to their face. Specially tonight since i got 3 bottles of Barefoot bubbly at the px for 4$ each. Now all i need is a few silly dependant/spouse friends to join me... But I have none of those. 

I shall post an ad on the sunday paper for female friends who are single, power hungry and have serious jobs. No children allowed. I'm tired of talking to mommies younger than me who only talk about cupon clipping. Not to mention the wives who have no name.

"Hi I'm Isa, and you are?"

"I'm <rank here>'s wife. I raise his kids. My house is dirty."

"Um.. yeah but your name..."

"I'm married to <rank here>. I live for my husband. I post how sad i am on my FB when he deploys. OOh im pregnant again! The baby is due on my 20th birthday! Diaper cake!"

...

Cheers

-Bubbly Lt-
 
Strike that. My new neighbor has no kids... Its a start. I'm kicking my mess into a closet before she gets here :)

-Soon to be bubbly Lt-
 
You need to write a country song there, ElTee. 
 
Anything I need is in my blog lol I don't really do country songs. My girls Ednita Nazario and Laura Pausini always got a song for me.

-Lt-