Culinary Confessions

Generally speaking, we're a "Whole Foods-Organic if Possible-Naturopathic Leaning-Vitamin & Supplement Taking-Trans Fat Avoiding-Juice Drinking-Feingold Program" family. We haven't always been this way, but the more we've learned about nutrition the more we've tried to eat with health benefits in mind.

However, there is a thorn in the flesh and it goes by the name of
Spam Musubi.

Having been raised in Hawaii, Alan and I were accustomed to seeing Spam (the unofficial state meat) not only on the breakfast table along with eggs but also at family picnics, potlucks and parties. All Hawaiian restaurants worth their poi serve Spam. Even the McDonalds in the islands offer Spam & Eggs as an alternative to an Egg McMuffin!

When we moved to California, our fondness for Spam traveled with us. We diligently searched grocery store ads and stocked up whenever it went on sale. One year, Alan's parents came for a visit. Mom happily opened her box of gifts from Hawaii, and neatly packed along with the Kona coffee and the macadamia nuts were a dozen of the familiar cans. Alan didn't have the heart to tell her that it was cheaper to buy them here than in Hawaii. Many happy moments in our early married years were spent frying some up for fried rice or enjoying strips in bowls of saimin. And once our kids were born, the Grandmas eagerly indoctrinated them to the pleasures of local foods, including
you-know-what.

With our recent bent toward healthy eating, however, Spam has not been appearing very often in our kitchen. Our focus has been on eating lots of fruits and veggies, and along with our multi-vitamins we've been taking extra Vitamin C, Echinacea and Zinc to ward off bugs during flu season . So far so good.

This is where late-night blog-surfing can get one in trouble. I happened to be reading Marla's blog in which she made a casual reference to eating spicy Spam. My foodie antenna went up and a discussion ensued. She and I decided to blog simultaneously about the wonder meat and faster than you could say "rice and nori" I was googling Spam Musubi. Trust me, it's very hard to go to sleep at night with that as your last thought. The next day, I made the decision to temporarily abandon our normal cashew butter and organic apricot jam on whole wheat sandwiches. There began our downward spiral into shameful gluttony. "Hey, kids! Guess what we're having for lunch today?"

Scenes from Auntie Linda's Kau Kau Kitchen

All the necessary ingredients: Spam, rice and nori.
Mustn't forget the plastic musubi mold!


Wow, Mom, this looks Onolicious!


Add some carrots and milk, and you've covered
all the major food groups! ;-)

After the last morsel of rice was gone and we were done licking our fingers, I assessed the extent of our backsliding. Spam musubi will be a difficult comfort food to give up, but we're gonna have to do something. Desperate times call for desperate measures. This may require prayer and fasting.

I think I'll start tomorrow.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34