Gifts of Spam!

In Korea there are many customs associated with the Chusok (thanksgiving) holiday. Chusok traces its origins back to ancient harvest festivals. So many of the traditions are linked to food. It is also customary to give Chusok gifts. The traditional dish associated with Chusok is Songpyun, a type of rice cake filled with sweet bean paste, chestnuts or sesame seeds. However, there is also a traditional Chusok food with a more recent heritage; SPAM!



On the Wednesday before we left for the Chusok holiday, Unium gave us all gift packages of Spam and tuna. Its one of those things that happen here. One of my fellow English teachers at Unium has a word for this kind of experience, which I can't currently remember, but the essence is that the experience is totally unexpected, but somehow not at all surprising. You get used to absurdity and strangeness very quickly here.
Anyway, Spam is a really big thing in Korea. I believe that it's popularity goes back to the Korean war when there were severe food shortages and people relied heavily on the US army to provide supplies. Spam was one of the most common foods provided, and it has retained its popularity since that time.