Cycle 15 – Item 99

13 (Sat) April 2024

AHQFGT Charlie Primo

3.0

by me + DJ

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

Another lesson in DJ’s going-off-to-college culinary training, fried eggs again (see most recently 15.085 AHQFGT Sierra Deluxe), this time flipping the eggs to make them “over easy.”

Also been teaching him to make variations of miso/doenjang soup, this time more Korean in style.

At long last, Chicken SPAM – technically, Chicken Breast SPAM – has arrived.  Still processed, but at least it’s not pork.

A side-by-side comparison of the labels for the standard SPAM (left) vs chicken SPAM (right) reveals significant nutritional advantages for the latter.  Per 100 grams (half of a can): 340 vs 170 calories; 1,080 vs 480 mg of sodium; 31 vs 11 g of fat; 11 vs 3 g of saturated fat; 13 vs 17 g of protein.  Oddly, chicken has more cholesterol at 65 mg vs 60 mg for the standard.

While the chicken SPAM looked the same out of the can, it cooked differently.  Initially placed in a dry pan, as I would with standard SPAM, the pieces stuck to the surface and browned unevenly.  So I added canola oil, maybe 1.5 tablespoons, enough to give the pieces a bit of lubrication, which did facilitate a more consistent cooking, but cancelled out some of the health benefits noted above (1.5 tablespoons = 180 calories, 18 grams of fat).

Flavorwise. the chicken SPAM also didn’t have quite the same punch as standard SPAM.  Less salty, less meaty, less SPAMy.  But a respectable healthierish alternative.

In the broader context of AHQFGT (At-Home, Quick-Fix, Go-To), any shortcomings in the chicken SPAM (chicken = charlie) didn’t matter much.  It was just fine when combined with rice + fried eggs + kimchi, as well as the doenjang guk, which elevated the meal to primo.

(See also HANSIK)