In Defense of SPAM – Part II
Is it good for you?
(Aug. 26, 2010) “Slow down,” she whispered
now guiding my trembling hands
“Turn the key slowly.”
Pink tender morsel
Glistening with salty gel
What the hell is it?
Pink beefy temptress
I can no longer remain
Vegetarian
(SPAM haiku collected by Keola Beamer, songwriter and slack-key guitarist)
SPAM, like Coca-Cola, is a uniquely American food. Like Coke, it has a kind of mystique.
Of course, Coke has a secret formula. SPAM, on the other hand, has no trade secrets. It lists everything right there on the can: “Pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and a touch of sodium nitrite.” But just how healthy — or not — is SPAM? And how do we really know?
Let’s take the last ingredient first. The “touch of nitrite” preserves the lustrous pink color. It’s used throughout the processed meat industry, in bacon and corned beef for example. Studies in the 1970s linked the consumption of nitrite with cancer and, for a decade, many credulous people, myself among them, avoided meats cured with nitrates.
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Today
Humboldt Educare Valentine's Spaghetti Dinner and Auction
food, for kids / 3-6 p.m. Portuguese Hall, 1185 11th St., Arcata. Help benefit Humboldt Educare preschool with dinner (vegetarian and meat options), a bake sale, silent auction, and cash-only wine bar. Arts, crafts and games available for children. Bringing own dishes suggested in effort to reduce waste. $10/$5 Children. E-mail alg2@humboldt.edu. 822-6447.
Mad River Grange Breakfast
food / 8-11 a.m. Mad River Grange, 110 Hatchery Road, Blue Lake. Pancake breakfast. Proceeds benefit local nonprofits. $4. 668-1906.
Open Celtic Music Session
music / 3 p.m. Cafe Veritas/Mosgo's, 180 Westwood Center, Arcata. Informal monthly gathering of musicians playing Irish and other Celtic music. Hosted by Seabury Gould. seaburygould.com. 845-8167.
Nonviolence Action Camp
etc. / 10 a.m. Chinmaya Mission near Piercy. Weekend-long direct action orientation features workshops, role playing, seminars, ceremonies and field trips. Bring food, bedding, warm clothes, signs, banners, bikes, drums, acoustic instruments. Pre-register. saverichardsongrove.org. 932-5898.
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ONE Comments
Comment / By suz / Today, 3:20 a.m.
i love spam! i know it’s not the healthiest protein source on earth but definitely one of the cheapest that fits the budget of the ailing pockets of today’s hungry population.
i try to make it healthier by mixing the dishes i make out of it with vegetables and take vitamin c with the spam meal to neutralize the nitrite it contains.