earlyretirement
Dryer sheet wannabe
I've liked it ever since I was young, still open a can once a month.
You really need a mold to make proper spam musubi. They are cheap on Amazon. And use sushi rice not long grain!
......
I even visited the Spam Museum in Austin, MN a number of years ago; worth a stop if you're in the area.
Strangely, yesterday one of Costco's samples was ... Spam! On something like foam white bread. Yes, I ate it. Hadn't had it for decades. One bite was enough, won't be buying more. Yesterday must have been Sausage Sample Day at my Costco, as I also had a couple of other offerings.
This site (link deleted) claims there are 22 varieties of SPAM. Some click bait, so open at your own discretion. I was actually thinking there were more than 22 varieties - it seems like it, but times, tastes and flavors change. We'll call it progress, I guess, though YMMV.
I've started making a batch of Spam Musubi every week for work lunches. This week I went with 10 thin Spam slices and made a 5 egg omelet so my musubi are: Spam, rice, egg, rice, Spam. Seasoned with Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce and a couple types of furikake.
Sounds great!
The furikake is the key ingredient IMHO and I apply it generously (also using two types).
I have discovered so many new tastes since moving to Hawaii about 10 years ago, mostly Asian, and mostly readily available in the mainland but somehow never crossed my radar:
furikake
bonito flakes/dashi
patis (fish sauce, patis is the filipino name but every culture has one.)
'inamona (finely chopped kukui nuts)
poi (yes, I like what I formerly described as library paste)
vana (sea urchin plucked from the ocean, tossed in a basket to remove spines and eaten raw. Yes, my Hawaiian partner thinks this is gross too! But also $20 served in a shot glass as a shooter at restaurants!)
limu (seaweed)
nori as a snack (nori are the kelp wrappers used for musubi and sushi)
natto (fermented soybeans. I'm iffy on this but very healthy)
mochi
onigiri (similar to musubi but triangular and generally not made with spam)
kimchee
kamaboko (this is the white/pink thing you see slices of in some Japanese soups on the mainland but oh so versatile)
li hing mui powder
arare
And my coworkers bring all sorts of tasties to work after Asian holidays!
I really want to try opihi but it is extremely hard to find! Opihi are those cone-shaped limpet molluscs that live in many areas. They are a delicasy in Hawaii and are eaten raw like oysters. My partner liked them as a kid but thinks they are disgusting now.
I've also learned that fried rice is not a dinner dish you plan. It is what you make for breakfast to use up the rice and other stuff left over from dinner. Anytime there is an event at work we have a big fried rice feast the next morning!
I have developed a particular fascination with fish sauce and its history. Both Worchestershire sauce and ketchup are evolved from fish sauce. Every Asian culture has their own but most are very similar. The Romans made "garum" which was prized by region like fine wine. Recipes for Roman garum are lost to history but are believed to be more like Asian fish sauces.
In the Island for 15 years but still haven't knowingly tried all of your list. Of course, we've probably had most of it at family and church luaus, but just didn't know what it was. I like virtually everything food related in the Islands. It would help to have partner who is familiar with all the various spices and cooking techniques. But we're just about as haole as they come, so we just try everything and enjoy. When we bring a midwestern dish to a luau, it always disappears, so I guess food is a universal language.
Regarding poi, I have just never been able to enjoy it though I've tried many times.
Regarding opihi, I've never tried. They are difficult to find commercially as the laws regarding their harvesting are strict, varied and come with signifiant penalties for poaching or improper limits, etc. Maybe some day.
I have tried all kinds of SPAM dishes and it's all in the preparation. Some I like - some not so much. SPAM by itself isn't a personal favorite but local folks we know can make SPAM quite tasty in dishes we don't always know. YMMV
I am currently in Maui where there is a Hormel convention at the hotel down the street. Several days ago they had chefs preparing Spam a number of different ways.