“I’m starving,” I said.
“Me too,” said my sister.
“Well, let’s get some breakfast,” said my dad.
We knew what that meant. We’re going to McDonald’s – my dad’s restaurant of choice.
It’s gotten to be a family joke that wherever we travel, we will visit at least one McDonald’s on the trip. Why should this get-away be any different? Hawaii has to have one somewhere, right?
The three of us were in Honolulu, Hawaii for the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting for five days, but had yet to adjust to the new schedule. A 7 a.m. wake-up call in Hawaii was nearly 11 a.m. back home in Minnesota. So, starving for breakfast was likely an understatement.
After navigating through oodles of people carrying surf boards, beach balls, and towels, we found it. Across the street from Waikiki Beach, there it was nestled between two tourist souvenir shops. The golden arches.
We immediately began surveying the menu. It’s McDonald’s so after years of visits you, like us, have probably come to expect certain items – an Egg McMuffin, a Sausage Biscuit, and a Big Breakfast with Spam?
“Does that say Spam?” I questioned.
My sister said, “Um, yeah I think so.”
The McDonald’s waitress overheard our questioning of the breakfast item and jumped in to help these tourists in a very Aloha spirit.
“Hawaiians eat more Spam per capita than any other place on Earth,” the smiling, very tan waitress said.
“That’s cool. Spam is made in Minnesota. That’s where we’re from.”
As a young girl growing up on a small sheep farm in rural Minnesota, I always knew of the blue can. It was my Dad’s meat of choice when he had to make supper. Whenever my Mom traveled or was away from home, he’d open up a can, slice the meat, and fry it up. A couple of pieces of bread, a bit of mayonnaise, and a tomato topped off Dad’s specialty. You may have guessed. My Dad’s delicacy was the fried Spam sandwich.
As a native Minnesotan, I knew Spam came from a town in Minnesota. Created back in 1937, Spam became a staple for many families around the country, including mine. Spam (officially styled SPAM; derived from spiced ham) is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation.
Spam was introduced to the Pacific during the United States military occupation in World War II. Since fresh meat was difficult to get to the soldiers on the front, World War II saw the largest use of Spam. Soldiers started eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Army soldiers commonly refer to SPAM as Special Army Meat due to its introduction during the war.
Surpluses of Spam from the soldiers’ supplies made their way into native diets. Consequently, Spam is a unique part of the history and effects of U.S. influence in the Pacific. It is so popular in Hawaii that it is sometimes referred to as “The Hawaiian Steak”. Islanders celebrate the meat by holding cook-offs featuring Spam recipes. Spam flavored macadamia nuts are also on store shelves.
Four thousand miles from Minnesota and here’s a Minnesota product on the menu at McDonalds. It’s amazing just how small our world is. It’s just another example of how our products feed consumers across the globe. It was a terrific reminder for me that my farm grows for people all over, including Hawaii.
On average, 3.8 cans of Spam are consumed every second in the United States. Thanks to farmers across the United States and one Minnesota company, we will always know that there’s another blue can of Spam waiting on store shelves.