Must push this.

“Saved the world” SPAM lunch meat

Invented by Hormel in 1937, it was originally a simple canned food that replaced meat during the Great Depression, but accidentally became the most precious ration of the World Anti-Fascist League, making an indelible contribution to the World Anti-Fascist War.

SPAM originally meant canned food made with spices (

Sp

ices) and ham (H

am

). At that time, lunch was only common in the middle and upper classes, and the general working class did not have the habit of eating lunch. The popularity of eating Spam in luncheon gatherings organized by government officials and company executives led to the gradual emergence of the term LuncheonMeat. When Spam was introduced to the Chinese mainland, canners translated Spam as luncheon meat, which became the origin of the word luncheon meat.

In World War II, because lunch meat is resistant to storage, easy to produce, has a long shelf life, can quickly provide heat for frontline soldiers, and can barely replace meat food supply, so SPAM lunch meat became a food included in the purchase list of the US logistics department at the beginning of the war, so that American soldiers eat this stuff to the point of vomiting, and their hapless cans that seem to never finish eating have all kinds of sensational nicknames. Such as “a certain type of suspected meat” (SomethingPosmgAsMeat), “launched meat” (sparePartsAnimalMeat), of course, more is called “soul meat” (MysteryMeat). The tales of Spam spread everywhere, to the horror of the soldiers: “The cooks would fry Spam for breakfast, roast Spam for dinner, put it in a corn cake for dinner, and Spam the next morning. God knows where they got so much Spam, it must have been ordered in buckets! Spam, Spam sticks, and boiled Spam greased with Spam!”

For Americans,

S

PAM luncheon meat, like enemy bullets and gonorrhea, is a common enemy of millions of American GIs around the world, and they even make up songs to mock Luncheon Meat:

Jack eats his acorns Grant is chewing on black bread Teddy is nibbling on poisoned beef The meat in the world doesn’t get worse than this Infantry has his hard dough Just watch the navy jam Everyone’s belly is squirming because it’s full of spam

In the earliest response to the 101st Division defending the town of Bastognaw (Ardennes Strikes Back, the famous First World War in “Band of Brothers”), there are even American GIs who see that the supplies dropped are SPAM luncheon meat and look desperate A close-up of.

But the Americans’ British and Soviet allies were grateful for this God-given precious food. Countless spams were distributed to Canadian, British, Australian, and Soviet troops. Its popularity was no less than that of American tanks and jeeps shipped under the Lend-Lease Act. A veteran of the US 4th Infantry Division recalls that after the Battle of Normandy, he and his buddies once complained about the endless lunch meat in the field cafeteria, only to be overheard by two visiting British officers. Without a word, they took two slices of lunch meat from the American soldier’s plate, threw it on the ground, covered it in dust, and picked it up and ate it. The meaning of this silent performance is very clear: “You pampered little Yankees have nothing to complain about. Compared to what we ate, it was a feast.”

Ordinary people in the occupied countries and Britain felt the same way.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher recalled: “Remember it was Boxing Day in 1943 (the day after Christmas, when the British gave gifts to mail carriers, milkmen, etc.), and a friend came to visit… We opened a can of SPAM luncheon meat. We also had some lettuce and potatoes. Friends said happily: luncheon meat and salad, how hearty!”

(Childhood Thatcher)

Former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev also reluctantly admitted after the famous “kitchen debate” with Nixon: “[After the Germans occupied the Ukrainian agricultural areas] Without Spam, we really had nothing to feed the Red Army at that time.”

(Kitchen Debate)

Even the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Sino-Burma-India Theater received supplies of SPAM luncheon meat. Stilwell insisted that each Chinese soldier receive a can of meat every two days and send it directly to the soldiers. Most of the time, the Expeditionary Army soldiers received the SPAM luncheon meat cans. These cans toughened the bodies of the undernourished Chinese soldiers, eventually making the Expeditionary Force a powerful army.

Anyway, with World War II, SPAM Luncheon Meat fought with anti-fascist soldiers from all over the world. In this deadly battle that decided the fate of mankind,

Luncheon Meat helped the world defeat power and evil!

After the war, with the occupation and stationing of the US military, SPAM also left a place in the catering culture of countries around the world.

South Korea’s army pot (the so-called army actually refers to the US troops stationed in South Korea), and Japan’s SPAM sushi are all delicacies created by the Japanese and Korean people who were occasionally “rewarded” by the US soldiers during the post-war years of suffering.

For American soldiers, SPAM is a nightmare. They can exchange these supplies for women for souvenirs at will, but for the people in the occupied areas who lack food and clothing, a can of SPAM can is enough to keep the whole family alive for several days.

In Hong Kong, China, there are also delicious methods of SPAM lunch meat, such as rice rice, meat noodles, and fried SPAM is really a perfect match.

In China, lunch meat is successfully imitated by Shanghai Merlin Cannery. When I was a child, a can of Merlin lunch meat with steamed buns or with white rice was a beautiful memory. Now, it is paired with hot pot again. Haidilao Merlin lunch meat is a perfect match.

In recent years, although many people do not advocate eating lunch meat due to health reasons, there are still many people who love lunch meat (such as me)

Especially in the United States, there has been an unexpected whirlwind of retro lunch meat in recent years. Holme has desperately expanded its production capacity to ensure the supply of lunch meat.

After all, there are still many people who like to eat this authentic “American food”.