Hot Damn! It’s Spam In A New Can

Spam just won’t be the same anymore.

Oh, the stuff inside the can hasn’t changed. It’s still the shiny meatlike substance that inspired the immortal Internet haiku: “Pink tender morsel/Glistening with salty gel/What the (heck) is it?”

But the label is getting a new look, for the first time in Spam’s 60-year history. Instead of the traditional glazed, baked Spam loaf with cloves, the regular Spam can will carry a picture of a somewhat more camouflaged Spam burger.

Spam salads will appear on the less-sodium and lite labels, while the smoke-flavored version will depict panfried slices of Spam with eggs. (Green eggs and Spam, perhaps?)

Spam executives say they hope the new look will appeal to a wider, younger audience.

By the way, instead of the previous printed-on lithographs, the new labels will be removable - making it much easier to redecorate your kitchen.

Philanthropic feast

You won’t find Spam on the menu at Spokane’s 17th Annual Epicurean Delight, just fine food and drink from area restaurants, wineries and breweries.

The black-tie-optional gala starts at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Ag Trade Center. Cost is $125 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Deaconess Center for Perinatal Medicine, which provides medical support for women in high-risk pregnancies.

For information and reservations, call 744-7673.

Cash-a-roni

There’s a new appreciation for Chef Boyardee around the Spokane Community College culinary arts department.

The school has received a $150,000 scholarship endowment from the family of the late Hector Boiardi, the popular food line’s founder, who always encouraged young people to enter the food preparation field.

“The family approached us to create the fund,” said Gail Stevenson, executive director of the Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation. “It’s a great tribute to the culinary arts program, and we’re really pleased.”

The first scholarships will be available next fall.

Beef-a-rama

The 15 finalist recipes from last month’s National Beef Cook-Off - including the grand-prize-winning Pacific Rim Glazed Flank Steak - are available in a free recipe brochure.

For a copy, call (800) 848-9088 or send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to: National Beef Cook-Off Recipes, Dept. NBCO-1997, 444 N. Michigan Ave., 18th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.