The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

Passage 165Copyright © Cengage Learning. All Right Reserved.Lenscap/AlamyThe SPAM Family of Products was first produced in 1935. A few yearslater, (1) Hormel Foods Corporation (formerly Geo. A Hormel &Company) invented an ingenious process that allowed meat to bepreserved in a can without refrigeration. But sales didn’t really takeoff until the company changed the name of the product. It ran acontest and chose the entry of “Spam.” The person who coined thename received $100. Although this sum would not be considered equitablepayment by today’s standards, it was quite a bit of money atthe time.The seemingly interminable economic depression of the 1930s(2) made the price of many fresh meats exorbitant. Canned meat, likeSPAM, was a cheaper alternative. So with its new, appealing name, SPAMfound its way into many U.S. homes. A can of SPAM was easy to get, store,and prepare.World War II (1939–1945) made SPAM luncheon meat a truly commonfood. With its new, square-cornered cans, designed to meet militaryneeds, SPAM could easily be shipped to soldiers. (3) The high-caloriefood quickly subdued hunger and supplied protein. SPAM fed thearmies of many nations. In his autobiography, Khrushchev Remembers,the former head of the Soviet Union credited SPAM with saving theRussian army from starvation. And, back in the United States, whenother meats were rationed, SPAM could be bought in unlimitedquantities.SPAM luncheon meat continued to feed troops in other wars. JessLoya, a Vietnam veteran, remembers that (4) SPAM was an antidote tohis homesickness. Opening a can would remind him of his childhoodwhen, living with a single father, he ate it often.With its former gelatin-like coating and odd, boxlike shape, SPAMhas long been a source of conversational fun. (5) Its pink color, similar toSPAM is a registered trademark for pork and poultry products by Hormel Foods LLCand is used with permission by Hormel Foods Corporation.