When I was in Hawaii years ago, I looked at the McDonalds window and no joke.. they had tons of Spam specials. I knew then that Spam had to be a big deal for a McDonalds to have it on their menu

Sliced thin, grilled until crispy, and stacked on lightly toasted white bread. Salty but satisfying.

Do NOT use SPAM as a substitute for meat in chili, however.

quote:

Originally posted by rpm2010:
kkina...maybe you're thinking of Inari sushi (aburage) cone sushi, popular as well, but not quite on the same level as Spam Musubi. Bothe the maki and inari use the vinegar rice.

Nah...more likely I just didn't know how spam musubi is made. Thanks for the edification, however.

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:
I gotta say, if you live in the US and find yourself buying spam on the black market, somewhere along the way your life took a horribly wrong turn.

https://www.theguardian.com/li...hell-hawaii-spam-jam

quote:

black market for Spam in Hawaii ??

There was a black market for the smaller bottles of Tide, might still be.

Tweekers shoplift them from one convenience store, sell them to the manager of another convenience store. They are tracked by SKU but not individually, so he can put them on his shelves along with the rest of his inventory.

Probably the same here.

quote:

Spam musubi. Not really sushi

Sushi refers to the vinegared rice. Anything made with it is sushi.

quote:

pam musubi is a legitimate form of sushi,

Spam sushi is the only way my wife likes spam.

She tried some at the Hale Koa buffet a while back and was hooked.

I'm going to disagree.

It ain't sushi. I don't even consider most of the sushi in the US sushi. Unless it's something prepared by a certified sushi chef, it's just someone putting something on rice.

Real sushi conforms to washoku ideals prepared by certified chefs.

Spam musubi is so far away from that..... I'm not saying it doesn't taste good (to some). But it ain't sushi. It's just spam on vinegar rice (or however it's made).

Washoku, Yoshoku, Tex-Mex, Americanized Pizza, Sushi in Dallas or Nebraska, I don't care at all as long as its good food, and much of the best food ever created is some sort of fusion, and hordes of Americanized Sushi is super delicious, however lacking in pure authenticity, and Americanized Pizza is better than any such thing in Italy.

And while I have enjoyed the sushi and other regional foods I've had in Asia proper, they weren't any better, objectively speaking, and not even necessarily that different either, from what I've had in a boatload of fine restaurants all over. The vast majority of the meals I had in Japan were good, I liked them, but they weren't anything spectacular.

I guess I'm saying, I think the focus on Washoku is overblown a bit. And, generally, I'd take the modern twists by someone like Iron Chef Morimoto or many of the Chefs in places like New Orleans over the pure traditional any day of the week.

Different strokes, I suppose.

Spam is delicious. I don't have it very often because it's not the healthiest thing to eat.

But, fried spam, fried egg, cheese, on an English muffin is amaaaaaazing.

I'm not saying washoku is good or better than any other type of cuisine. The intent behind washoku is good sometimes, not so good in others.

I don't eat sushi in the US for 2 reasons. But that's besides the point.

All I'm saying here is that spam musubi, those rolls you can order in "Japanese" restaurants here, etc, shouldn't be considered sushi and are not washoku for a variety of reasons. It's not a commentary on how good it may or may not taste.

Right on.

But that seems a bit of a No True Scotsman Fallacy as applied to Sushi (and I'm guilty of similar things myself sometimes). The literal definition of Sushi is quite clear, as Tank mentioned above, and it doesn't include a washoku requirement.

When/where/how did you come by this opinion regarding what Sushi is/isn't? I'm curious.

quote:

Originally posted by PD:
Spam used to be worth its weight in gold in Korea

It is still in high demand and is a popular gift to take when visiting there.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
it ain't sushi. It's just spam on vinegar rice (or however it's made).

...and when speaking Japanese that rice would be called what?

quote:

Originally posted by tanksoldier:

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
it ain't sushi. It's just spam on vinegar rice (or however it's made).

...and when speaking Japanese that rice would be called what?

gohan (plain white rice) In Hawaii, most of the locally consumed rice is from Kalifornia. Although imported rice from Japan is gaining in popularity, as they have so many differing varieties, and regions where it's grown. It's really good stuff, and the texture and flavors are noticeable from the differing regions.

A specialty retail shop in Honolulu that sells...Japanese rice.
http://trf-us.com/en/