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Spam is an iconic food across many countries, but one U.S. state celebrates it more than any other region of the world: Hawaii.
When the Honolulu Little League team ventured to Williamsport, they brought their love of Spam with them.
“Every kid in Hawaii grows up eating Spam,” Honolulu team manager Gerald Oda said with a laugh. “We grill it. We fry it. You name it and we’ll eat it anyway. It’s just a traditional thing we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve grown up eating Spam.”
Before we can ask 'Why Hawaii?', we need to ask 'Why Spam?'
The canned meat product, consisting primarily of pork shoulder and ham, found some public appeal after its release in the 1930s. It was convenient and didn't require refrigeration.
Public response shifted with the onset of World War II. Over 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped to feed troops, according to Hormel Foods, the brand behind the product.
As Spam became a military staple, it began to spread between the countries in conflict.
Korea and Japan were starving at the end of the war and took to Spam as an affordable protein source. Japanese and Korean immigrants then began to arrive in Hawaii, and Spam came along.
Spam Musubi (rice, seaweed, Spam) is now a common convenience store food in Hawaii. With a wide range of prepared forms, Spam is also a featured menu item at local diners.
“It’s comfort food,” Oda said. “I can guarantee you when we eat it it’s called Spam Musubi. I don’t know what to compare it to for something you would eat around here.”
Appreciation of Spam is so widespread in Hawaiian culture that the state holds a festival honoring Spam — known as Spam Jam — and its their largest festival every year.
While Little Leaguers in Williamsport find themselves thinking of home, the story of Spam actually began here in the U.S. mainland.
“Any kids from Hawaii, when you’re away from home for a while, one of the best things you can have is a Spam Musubi,” Oda said. “Some people don’t like it and we get that. For us it's a delicacy.”
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