chaiwallah86
When I lived in South Korea every grocery store had an entire aisle dedicated to different flavors of Spam. It was insane.
ㄴSpectavi: Hold up, FLAVORS of Spam?!!? We're getting screwed by Spam the same as Kit-Kat?!
ㄴTallpugs: An entire aisle?? Bullshit. Unless these aisles are tiny.
02K30C1
When I was stationed in Korea, they couldn’t keep enough in stock at the commissary. Sold like crazy.
Jeneral-Jen
Can confirm. I got a SPAM gift case from my employer last year as a gift.
AJEstes
It’s delicious in 부대찌개 (army stew). I first got into spam in Hawaii, but realized it’s full potential in Korea.
ㄴKvltmaster: Budae Jjigae is the reason I love Spam. It's one of my favorite comfort foods.
ㄴprudence2001: It goes nicely in kimbap too.
ㄴDobermanpure: BUDAE JJIGAE is my absolute favorite Korean dish. I found a place by me that does it and it is amazing! I’ve made it at home but it’s just not the same.
Dang I miss Korea.
ㄴkappakai: Budae Jigae has some really interesting history. Correct me if I’m wrong. But it’s called army stew because it was basically post war American rations that they dumped into a traditional Korean stew (jigae) so things like canned spam, canned corn, canned cheese, canned hot dogs, canned Vienna sausage and canned beans. It’s fantastic stuff. I love giving my Korean friends some shit though; Korean food is unique in that it’s all about making the inedible edible. And they do a great job at it.
monkeyharris
Delicacy is an overstatement. Popular gift, yes, treasured, no.
ㄴrkoy1234: Yea, it's a cheap, convenient meat add-on for everyone from starving college students to moms who want to prepare a quick meal.
Cavely88:
When I lived in Korea, I ended up with about 40 cans of spam after Seollal. I took it all in to work and gave it out as prizes to my 12 year old students for doing well in class. They were SO excited and went wild claiming I was the most amazing teacher ever.
Please note that I was teaching some of the richest kids in the entire city.
ㄴUnclearSogeum: They're happy for your gesture. Being rich doesn't mean anything. In fact it just shows that food is respected there regardless of wealth.
[deleted]: Damn, so all these spam mails were gift.
DarnHeather:
When I lived in Korea I was so happy to see Spam being enjoyed. I grew up on it and I love it. At the Lunar new year and Chuseok (Thanksgiving) the grocery stores would sell it by the case with large matching yellow ribbons tied on and in the commissary people would buy it by the cart load.
Also, there is a kimbap (think sushi with nothing raw) with spam that is delicious.
NoThisIs-Patrick:
I never liked Spam until I lived with a Korean family. Now I enjoy it fried up with egg. Very delicious.
vrrosales:
This is true. If you ever have a Korean friend, ask him to cook you a dish called "spam mayo" it's delicious y'all.
obiwanshinobi900:
Hot and spicy spam fried rice is pretty much the best food in the world hands down.
stubept:
Gimbap with Spam is a great hangover breakfast after a night of drinking Soju.
Morgenstern66
Ah, I remember my first Christmas in Korea. Our boss gave us a fancy gift box, filled with...spam. I thought it was a joke at first, but then saw how all the Korean teachers loved it. Bon appetit.
thisredditorisnoone
Lol spam is not a delicacy in Korea.
ㄴSeienchin88: Yep. Its often eaten but calling it a delicacy is very strange.
I love mashed potatoes and eat them often but they are not a delicacy by any means anywhere.
beardlywise:
100% can confirm after living in Korea for 12 years.
Traut67
I was looking for someone to correct this, but it hasn't been addressed. I don't see how it could have been introduced during WWII, since Korea was occupied by Japan. Also, I don't think the US would be sending Spam to Japan. After the war, maybe. Am I missing something?
ㄴAKADriver: Correct, it was introduced circa the Korean War and prized because of South Korea's tough economic conditions making fresh meat rare while Spam was something often acquired from American army bases.
jojjeshruk:
The Soviet union received a lot of spam from America during ww2 so it became kind of big there.
ㄴEnchelion: Basically anywhere a lot of American's got posted during a war, or that the American military supported, developed a history with SPAM.
Teemotep187:
Koreans give lots of unusual gift sets: spam, tuna, toilet paper, cooking oil.
ㄴ kndahouz: Don't forget laundry soap.
pixartist:
Isn't it essentially cat food?
ㄴ[deleted]: That’s exactly what it smells like.
BransonLite:
Spam is basically canned bacon and it’s fucking delicious y’all
NateSoma:
When I first moved to Korea I made fun of the Spam thing and whenever I got some as a gift during lunar new years I just threw it away or gave it to a co-worker.
Years later, now married to a Korean lady, my wife made one of my favorite meals, kimchi fried rice. Took one bite and it tasted good but not amazing like usual. She saw my reaction and said "Sorry I had to use canned tuna.. we were out of spam".
I was like "... wait.. there is usually spam in this? Well I'll be damned. Lets never run out again!"
And that is how I learned about spam being awesome and totally NOT a joke. And, we always have a can or two in the cupboard now.
yorkpepperbrush:
As a Korean living in America Spam is still good. Don’t really use it a lot though.
jpba1352:
Wife is Korean. We have spam minimum once a week.
iRecond0:
Koreans are my kind of people
99problemsfromgirls
Something being popular doesn't make it a delicacy.
Public_Personality_2:
Kimchi jigae tastes so much better with spam in it.
twistedspike:
If you haven't had spam mayo you're missing out!
Snoo-92689:
Wow different flavours of spam?! We have one spam flavoured
Cheezburglar64:
My Vietnamese fiancee is crazy about that stuff also.
Mortified42:
What you call a delicacy in South Korea, we call trailer steaks in the US.
TheFuturist25:
My friend's think they're the leading consumers of spam on group chat
Zachariot88:
Yeah but they gave us the moment in Slingblade where Billy Bob Thornton admits they look like little penises.
DarklordDKL:
It's cheap, simple, easy to find, and everybody eats it.
That is the opposite of a "delicacy"
workislove:
I taught in South Korea for a few years, and the mother of one of my students gave me a big SPAM gift box with maybe 8+ cans of spam kind of like this, but with more spam and less oil / seasoning. I was glad for the...thought. I ended up trading another teacher my spam gift pack for her fruit gift pack.
DudeAbides-420:
I was there once in early February and I was amazed when my friend took me around. I saw all the gift boxes that you could buy. He told me that a lot of businesses give these as bonus gifts during the holidays. Blew my mind how much they loved spam. I commented on that to my Korean friend and he just said that sounds like white privilege and I laughed my ass off.
AegonTheConquerer
Rice + Spam + Kimchi + Egg = Cheap Instant Meal
ㄴsangunpark1: alot of things koreans got we're given to them by the americans, so during the korean war (post 1945) it became something of a treat for citizens, my family has stories of getting little ration packs from american soldiers
solarbot88:
When I lived in south Korea my breakfast would often be some thin sliced fried spam and sliced soft boiled egg wrapped in dried seaweed laver.
original post: here
2. Of course if you eat Spam on its own, it's way too salty and it's just weird so nobody does it.
But once you cook it and eat it with rice, it changes everything, even when you add kimchi in.
What's fascinating is that the dish is from USA but it suits Korean food better
3. It's delicious with white rice
4. But the Spam that Americans know is different than the Spam Koreans knowㅋㅋㅋ
5. My pride is kinda hurting knowing we're not actually #1
6. Apparently #1 is Hawaii
7. What's up with "Spam mail"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
8.[deleted]: Damn, so all these spam mails were gift.
What's up with this witㅋ
9. I don't usually eat Spam but when people cook it with Kimchi fried rice, it's delicious
10. I'm more shocked that we're not first..
