#20 SPAM

Not the junk mail.  The stuff in the blue can.  Give any Hawaiian this stuff and they can make a meal out of it.  Right up there with Vienna Sausage and corn beef, SPAM has become a custom in the islands.  No one is quite sure how this seemingly artificial meat found its way to the middle of the Pacific but there are good reasons why Hawaiians love it.  

1) It has a texture and consistency that no other meat on this planet has: part solid, part bacon, part ham, and part soft and squishy stuff.  

2) there's a SPAM, eggs and rice meal at McDonalds.

3) it's salty.  Which means, lots and lots of flavor.  A lot more flavor than poi, that's for sure.

4) it goes well with so many things:  SPAM Musubis, eggs and rice, SPAM and cheese, SPAM sandwich, even SPAM katsu.

5)  it doesn't go well with every thing:  green bean casseroles - Yuck!  With fish or laulau? No Way!!!  Never saw a Hawaiian eat SPAM with Ice Cream.  Stay with the other good stuff.