SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!"

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Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; Clean & Tight Contents edition (July 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0156004771
ISBN-13: 978-0156004770
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces

The Cadillac of canned meat food products finally gets its due with Spam: A Biography. The book traces the meat's story from its distant Hormel ancestry through its history-changing 1937 birth, right up to the present day. Along the way we discover that its ingredients are not nearly so revolting as one might have been lead to think (merely pork shoulder, ham, salt, sugar, and delicious sodium nitrite) and that Spam received its pithy name from actor and friend of the Hormel family, Kenneth Daigneau. But this is no rosy-hued love letter to luncheon meats. Wyman tackles the tough issues of Hormel's labor problems during the 1980s and the visceral hatred many World War II GIs developed for Spam after finding it in meals for days on end. (Wyman also notes alternative wartime Spam uses, including skin conditioner, gun lubricant, and thickly-sliced playing cards.) In an invaluable service, readers are reassured as to the benign nature of the disturbing gelatin that surrounds Spam, and taught how to tell which batch they're eating by deciphering the markings on their cans. The author also tracks the history of Spam advertising and descends into the terrifying maelstrom of obsessive Spam fans. Of course, no book on Spam would be complete without recipes, and Wyman includes some truly chilling examples, including "SPAMtastic Mincemeat Truffles," "Fruit Cocktail-SPAM Buffet Party Loaf," and the absolutely ungodly "Lobster Thermidor aux Crevettes with a Mornay Sauce Garnished with Truffle Pâté, Brandy, and a Fried Egg on Top and Spam." --Ali Davis From Booklist A main-meal casserole accompanied by baked beans, pineapple, and brown sugar. A foodstuff popularized by military legends. Every conceivable topic related to this spiced ham product is explored: its origins in Austin, Minnesota; history and wartime stories; advertising and promotions; manufacturing; and Spam spoofs and features in the media. Certainly, newspaper food columnist Wyman has done her homework. A hodgepodge of illustrations cries 1940s and 1950s design style, and a mixture of innumerable facts and creative fiction amuses, entertains, and impresses. Could anyone resist the following ditty: "But marital bliss is sure to cease/If I ever ask for ham/And find my eggs are looking up/From a goldarned slice of Spam." More than you ever dreamed--or could consume. Barbara Jacobs SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!"