Spam and Other Evils

I remember as a kid one of my favorite meals was Kraft Dinner, peas, and pan-fried Spam.

Ick. I shudder to even think of it now.

I have since taken culinary classes, worked as a chef, and quite honestly wouldn't recognize KD if it got up and smacked me in the ass. If you want mac & cheese to emerge out of my kitchen, you are going to get fresh radiatore blended with a parmigiano-reggiano sauce.

Needless to say, Spam hasn't exactly topped my shopping list since I became an adult. I didn't even know that it was still available. Imagine my surprise then when I saw it sitting among the canned meats and fish as though it belonged there. Rubbing elbows with sockeye salmon, baby shrimp and escargots, terrorizing the "Flakes of" family; chicken, turkey, and ham. Trying desperately to look more appealing than the tin full of jelly-congealed cooked ham, whose package suggests that you should toss a pineapple on top and serve it for Easter Dinner.

What really got me though wasn't the fact that you could still buy it, it was the price! Seriously, you can buy a real ham (albeit a small one) for twice the price and stretch it out over four meals and a soup. Is Spam even real meat? I always thought it was composed of what the Hot Dog Manufacturers of America rejected for their product.

Maybe I am just a food snob, but I always regarded Spam as budget fare. Even a can of the aforementioned prime red, water-packed, unsalted sockeye salmon could be purchased for $3.00.

But $4.21? For 340 grams? That works out to $12.40 per kg or $5.62 per pound.

Fresh boneless chicken breast in the same store was $3.49/lb. Top Sirloin Steak was $3.99/lb.

Has Spam reached some sort of cult-status that I am not aware of?

Spam

Anyways....

I am obviously lacking for poker content today as I have yet to hit the tables. I am off to do just that though, so hopefully my next rant will involve chips and cards rather than hooves and snouts.