Often considered food for a post-apocalyptic diet, SPAM holds a special place not only in the pantries of the future but in pantries past. Making its debut in 1937 toward the end of the Great Depression, SPAM was at once just another ambiguous pink brick trying to distinguish itself from other potted meat on the shelves. Determined to make a superior potted meat, inventor Jay Hormel used pork shoulder and ham while his competitors included lips, snouts, and ears in their tin pots. These were hard times, but Hormel would not sacrifice vacuum-sealable flavor or quality.
By 1940, SPAM aired its first commercial over the radio, which Hormel’s website claims to be the “first singing commercial,” though Wheaties might beg to differ. The lyrics went like this, to the tune of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean,” so you can sing along:
SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM,
Hormel’s new ‘Miracle Meat’ in a can.
Tastes fine,
Saves time,
If you want something grand,
Ask for SPAM.
Because it doesn’t require refrigeration and can last for years, SPAM is “like meat with a pause button,” according to the company. Ah, how this adds greater depth to that “saves time” lyric.
During World War II, Hormel really stepped up its game, supplying more than 100 million pounds of SPAM abroad to allied troops. In a letter to the company, President Eisenhower even praised the product for its effectiveness. This letter is prominently displayed alongside images of Slammin’ Spammy, the WWII missile-launching mascot, in the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Want more inches of “pure pork fun”? The Spam Museum features a Cyberdiner, a ‘50s-style diner with internet-connected computers logged into the product site, where you can find out about SPAM’s history — rather than at the museum you’re standing inside.
In 1945, SPAM introduced The Hormel Girls, a 60-member all-lady performing troupe that toured the country singing Christmas songs on the radio, instructing listeners on dainty ways of serving ham, and insisting that “cold or hot, SPAM hits the spot.” After the war...
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