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I love SPAM Musubi. What is SPAM Musubi you ask? Think of it as SPAM sushi. Before you go "eeewwww", read on. I was in Hawaii for vacation a few weeks ago. Apparently, Hawaii is the number one per-capita consumer of SPAM in the nation, consuming over 6 million cans a year. Armed with those facts, I set out to find out just how all that SPAM could be consumed by such a small population.

It turns out that one of the most popular snack foods in Hawaii is SPAM Musubi. It's essentially a big ball of sushi rice with a slice of SPAM on top (or in the middle), all wrapped in a piece of nori. It's incredibly popular and can be found at most convenience stores. The first day I tried to buy a SPAM Musubi from a place called the Nagasako General Store in Lahaina, I was told that I was too late and should try again the next morning - early. Asking what time "early" was, the woman behind the counter remarked that they opened at 6:30. Since we were planning a long drive the next day, I figured that would be a good time to come back.

Trip two to the Nagasako General Store proved to be fruitful. There on the counter next to the cash register was a huge pile of neatly wrapped and stacked SPAM Musubi. After paying the $1.40 or so that it cost, I left with a big smile on my face. The SPAM was mine! I can't say that I'm a huge SPAM fan - it's something I can remember eating every once in a while as a child, but not something I remember making since. Oh well, here was a chance to give it another go.

We were barely five minutes down the road before I had the wrapper off and had taken my first bite. It was still warm from the heating of the SPAM. I was surprised at how good it actually tasted. There's a definite comfort food feeling that eating SPAM Musubi evokes. Pere doesn't like SPAM much, but she tried a bite as well in the name of novelty. She was actually surprised how much she liked it as well. Our only regret that day was that we only bought one!

If you are interested in Hawaiian SPAM recipes, you might want to check out Hawaii's SPAM Cookbook and Hawaii's 2nd SPAM Cookbook, both written by Ann Kondo Corum.