Crazy Tasty! That's the new slogan for SPAM, the celebrated canned meat invented by Hormel Foods back in 1937. Slate has a great article today about the recent advertising campaign Hormel has launched to revive Spam sales, complete with links to two deliciously demented television commericals. My only beef (or should I say pork?) with the Slate piece is that the author has never even tried Spam, a fact which I feel diminishes his appreciation for the now-kitschy staple of the old American pantry. I have fond memories of eating fried Spam sandwiches by firelight, while camping and canoeing my way through the Jersey pine barrens with a friend. The miracle of food in a can is not lost on you when you've been paddling your arms off all day. The author also neglects to mention that while Spam may have become better known as the junk mail we all receive daily on our e-mail accounts here in America, the gelatinous spiced ham food product still has cachet in certain parts of the world. In Hawaii, where Spam-eating started during the dark days of World War II, it is still thought of as a delicacy, and is prepared in myriad imaginative ways such as Spam sushi, grilled Spam with pineapples, even Spam with poi; the same is true in Korea, where Spam with fried rice is considered a classic home-cooked meal. In Guam you can get Spam on your pizza at Pizza Hut! The scary thing is, the more you search for the presence of Spam in cuisine around the world (try the indispenable Chowhounds website if you don't believe me), the more you find it, from Spam and onions in the Czech kitchen to fried eggs and Spam served up in Cuban restaurants for breakfast. All told, Spam-love is still alive and well among peoples outside of America, who don't need any zany commercials to keep their relationship fresh!