Spam - Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

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I'm always amazed by what you can learn reading top-notch sailing blogs.

Frogma has just posted about what she had for lunch on her most recent sailing outing - something I'd never heard of before - Spam Musubi, a dish that is apparently very popular in Hawaii.

Wow, I had no idea Spam was this great cross-cultural vehicle. Is Spam actually a kind of universal language, sort of a culinary Esperanto? Since no one's really sure what it's made of, it seems to be accepted by many cultures. Maybe it's the key to a future of peace and world understanding.

Curious, I started checking out the internets. Sure enough, both Spam and Spam Musubi have their own Wikipedia entries, incontrovertible proof that Spam has a respected international stature.

Then, I had a startling realization. I'd always wondered why I chose the shade of blue that I did for the background color of this blog. Somehow, that particular blue just spoke to me. But now I see that there were strong subliminal forces at work in my choice. It is the same color used in the background of the Spam label.

And there are practical sailing applications for Spam products, too, I discovered. My favorite sailing hat has long been a knit watchcap, after I lost too many baseball caps overboard in the strong winds of San Francisco Bay. Well, look at this spiffy offering from the Hormel Corporation. I'm ordering one of these snappy numbers right away:

And I notice there's another Spam product that should have a million uses aboard any sailboat:

Spam Spread has that same great Spam taste, but the clever engineers at Hormel changed its texture for when you need something more flexible. On a sailboat, you can still have it for lunch, but it also makes a great all-around marine caulking compound at a fraction of the cost of 3M 5200. Half of the problem with the 3M product is that cleanup is such a mess. Not so with Spam Spread - just lick your fingers clean. Spam Spread adheres readily to wood, fiberglass, and most non-ferrous metals. It remains soft and pliable indefinitely over a wide temperature range - the perfect choice for bedding deck fittings.

What a wonderful, universal product Spam is. Long-lasting, easily transportable, shaped to stack easily, and, when sliced thin, placed on a block of rice, and wrapped in seaweed, kinda tasty, too.

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