"canned food" news and stories

Perhaps this is just indicative of the sort of folks with whom I keep company, but I've known at least half a dozen people who've used a brain can as comedic decor, and it's certainly been the butt of jokes around the blogosphere. I cannot, however, recollect any of 'em actually popping the top and feasting. My husband's Aunt Frances, though, couldn't get enough of them as a kid in Plymouth, NC, and told me how she'd hover right by her mother in the kitchen so she could gobble down brains and eggs straight out of the hot skillet.

Who am I to argue with Aunt Frances? I picked up the can in the picture above at Harris Teeter over Christmas in North Carolina, and fixed myself some brains and eggs for breakfast this morning. Picture after the jump.

I have never understood why there could even be a debate about Spam, but taking my own family as an example, I suppose it should be expected. My family is divided. My Mom and I can't stand the sight or smell of what looks like, well, Spam. Dad and sisters, on the other hand, absolutely love the stuff, and in fact, will do what I consider an act of utter I-don't-know-what, eat Spam "raw," straight out of the can.

I am absolutely intrigued that there has to be a sizeable enough contingent of Spam-lovers that almost 6 billion cans of the processed meat have been produced since its introduction into the world. Inspired by an article by Brad Schleicher and Stephanie Shapiro in the Baltimore Sun last week, I wondered, "Do people who claim to like Spam really like how it tastes? What is it about the stuff that is so appealing? Or even a little bit appealing?"

Schleicher says he loves it. In fact, he describes his first childhood memory of it: "I loved the strong aroma, the rich flavor and the smooth and creamy texture. That moment for me was a lot like the one most kids experience eating their first ice-cream sundaes, except that my food wasn't a sundae. It happened to be cold processed ham and pork."

On the other (more sensible, in my opinion) hand, Shapiro hates Spam. She says, ""Spam was the color of the 1950s: preternaturally pink, a slightly speckled flesh tone shared by Caucasians and pigs. When fried, Spam acquired an even more unfortunate hue, kind of like a radioactive tongue."

So I ask you, dear Slashfood readers, about Spam. Do you love it? Or, do you, like me, hate it?

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I know that none of our Slashfood readers would ever dare to eat canned vegetables (except tomatoes for sauce, right), but just in case you happen to be one who might eat French-cut green beans, make sure to check out the list below. The FDA has issued a warning that the canned green beans could be tainted with the toxin that causes botulism.

The beans were processed by Lakeside Foods in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The company is voluntarily recalling 15,000 cases of green beans, although no botulinum toxin has been found in any cans that were tested. No illnesses had been reported due to consumption of the green beans as of August 1, either. But hey, better safe than sorry!

The affected brands are: Albertson's, Happy Harvest, Best Choice, Food Club, Bogopa, Valu Time, Hill Country Fare, HEB, Laura Lynn, Kroger, No Name, North Pride, Shop N Save, Shoppers Valu, Schnucks, Cub Foods, Dierbergs, Flavorite, IGA, Best Choice and Thrifty Maid.

The warning applies to cans with the following codes: EAA5247, EAA5257, EAA5267, EAA5277, EAB5247, EAB5257, ECA5207, ECA5217, ECA5227, ECA5297, ECB5207, ECB5217, ECB5227, ECB5307.

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Have you seen the ad for that new can opener? I can't remember the name of it, something like The Spinner or Spinsanity or The Spinster. It's a self-powered, hands-free can opener. You just put it on the can and it opens it automatically, without any help from you. Actually, I don't think this is a "new" product as I saw something similar advertised a couple of years ago.

First off, they show a lot of people using the old-fashioned manual can opener, and having such a hard time using it. It hurts their hands, cans fall off of it and the food goes everywhere on the floor, etc. Are these people uncoordinated or what?

Second, it's interesting that they don't show much of the electric can openers. I think I saw one quick glimpse of one. But they can't really focus on the electric can openers, because that would lessen the value of this new device. They're not that much different, even if the hands-free and no sharp edge aspects are kinda cool.

I still use a manual can opener. It doesn't hurt my hands, it's easier to clean than the usual electric, and it feels like I'm actually doing something in the kitchen.

I can only think of a few food products that sound less appetizing than pork brains in milk gravy - fermented shark springs to mind - but this is certainly near the bottom of the list. The interesting thing to note about this product is its nutritional information. One can, which is about 2/3 cup, has only 150 calories and 5 grams of fat. It also has 3,500mg of  cholesterol, which is 1170% of the recommended daily allowance. Yikes!

The weirdest thing about this cardiologist's nightmare of a product is that there must be enough demand to justify canning it. According to this article, it's not uncommon in the South, but it also says that it tastes pretty nasty. I have to ask: is anyone really eating this stuff?

[via A Full Belly]

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