I stray outside the manor this week for my topic but there is a connection. The disruption of trade routes during WW2 led to us being introduced to different taste experiences, I still remember dried Canadian Apple rings (lovely in apple puddings!), tinned Canadian and US bacon which replaced the imports from occupied Denmark but most of all for the arrival of Spam! I think everyone will recognise the distinctive tins of pressed pork meat, fat and all, that became a normal part of our rations. In truth, the Hormel Company of Austin had found a brilliant way to make use of the trimmings from their other main product, tinned ham. Heavily laced with spices and preservatives and compressed into a meaty brick it was ideal for slicing and soon became a much loved part of our diet.
During the war the main output of the company went to feed the US troops and for export to the UK. In 1946 the company realised that they had to rebuild their home market and embarked on a massive advertising campaign. As part of this they recruited an all-female group composed of war veterans who were mostly white and not married. The women were all musicians and performed around the United States while promoting Spam. They and the advertising campaign were so successful that domestic sales doubled. The numbers varied but the troupe was usually a minimum of 20. By 1953 the Spamettes were costing the company $1.3million annually and it was decided that their job was done, they were disbanded.
I knew nothing about the Spamettes until I was in the States visiting my friends Martha and Roger and they took me to the Spam Museum at Austin. It was fascinating, very well presented and one display was film of the ladies on tour. But there was another video exhibit which delighted me, it was Monty Python and the Flying Circus singing the Spam song. Now that was unexpected and I thought it was very brave of the company to use it as part of the display when I think most of us would see it as poking fun at the brand. However the company evidently focussed on the continuous repetition of the brand name. I told the lady who curated the displays how impressed I was but said that I had one disappointment, the fact that they hadn't got a café where I could have a cup of coffee and a fried Spam butty!
The Hormel Company never sent the Spamettes over to us, they didn't need to, the fact that it was a staple of our diet under rationing had firmly embedded the brand in the UK and it can be found on most supermarket shelves. I normally avoid highly processed meats but writing this piece for you has made me nostalgic. I think I will stretch a point and buy a tin of Spam so I can taste a fried Spam butty again! (Disclaimer: This article has no connection with the Hormel Company!)
The original Spamettes.
