Spam and more spam in Manila

Travellers to the Philippines planning to sample local culinary delights like chicken mango and seafood noodles might be a bit disappointed if they book a table at a certain restaurant in Manila. The eaterie’s menu features dozens of variations of a dish made famous by the Monty Python team – Spam. The Spamjam restaurant serves up Spam nuggets, Spam spaghetti, Spamburgers, Caesar salad with Spam, and Spam and eggs, according to Reuters news agency. The canned luncheon meat may be a joke in the UK, but it is hugely popular in the Philippines, Reuters reports. Filipinos munch their way through 2.75 million pounds (1.25 million kg) of it every year, much of it brought in via the United States, where it was created in the 1930s. The famous Monty Python sketch features a waitress listing Spam dishes in a high-pitched voice, including Spam, egg, Spam, bacon, and Spam. But she is drowned out by a horde of singing Vikings, a bizarre scenario which has led to the luncheon meat’s name now being used to describe junk e-mail. Following the success of Spamjam, more Spam restaurants may soon open up in other countries, according to Hormel Foods, its American manufacturer. Report by Chris Elliott, News from Abroad