For the love of SPAM

Today is the second most important holiday in Korea. It’s called Chuseok (pronounced chew-suk), and it’s the equivalent of Thanksgiving Day in America. We’re celebrating our third Chuseok in Korea, and we love it. Good food, time with family and friends, crisp fall air, and no work. What’s not to like?

And then there’s Spam.

As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, I frequently ate the tasty, packaged meat. I devoured it with ketchup, eggs, baked beans (my favorite!), and as I got older, a frosty-cold beverage.

It’s easy to stick our noses up at the inexpensive, unhealthy, and ridiculed blocks of chopped pork. But all that processed meat and salt, packaged in the iconic blue and yellow tin can, is, at least for me, a nostalgic treat that brings back fond childhood memories.

It does the same for many Koreans.

During Chuseok (and Korea’s biggest holiday, Lunar New Year), Spam is given as a gift - and not a gag gift. It’s packaged in elaborate - and not so inexpensive - gift boxes for convenient giving and is presented to friends, family, and anyone else who they’ll be visiting over the holiday.

Anthony Bourdain prepares Budae Jjigea during a visit to Seoul. (Photo Credit: CNN)

The tradition dates back to the hard times after the Korean War when meat was difficult to come by. The American GI’s always had Spam, however, and soon the Koreans did, too. The gelatinous meat became a cherished addition to the Korean cuisine - and not just with eggs or beans. They adapted it to their unique, spicy, and kimchi-infused diet and came up with a wonderful stew called Budae Jjigae, 부대찌개,(pronounced bewd-ae-jeeg-ay), a wonderful concoction of Spam, Frankfurt sausages (remember how good they were when you ate them out of the can as a kid?), tofu, chicken stock, ramen noodles, and lots of kimchi. It’s one of my favorite dishes in Korea, and most Americans who’ve tried it agree. It’s knee-smackin’ good!

Budae Jjigae, or "Army Stew" as it’s sometimes called in reference to the US Army soldiers who introduced them to Spam, is not only a delicious culinary delight, it's also a symbol of Korea’s creativity, resourcefulness, and appreciation for the past.

Korea is now the 13th largest economy in the world, and the days of eating Spam and budae jjigae as a necessity are over. But for Koreans, the blue and yellow cans and bowls of spicy stew are a reminder of how things used to be, how far they've come in a short time, and how - even in the hustle and bustle of modern-day South Korea - simple things can still be enjoyed.

Time for dinner . . .