THE GULF WAR: The Home Front : Food: No SPAM

It’s official: Americans are going to WAR WITHOUT SPAM, a staple of the military diet since World War II. The move comes at the request of the Saudi government. “A war without SPAM is like a day without grumbling,” said one Marine cook. “It’s the meat they love to hate.” Produced by Geo. A. Hormel & Co. of Austin, Minn., SPAM is a tinned luncheon meat made from ham and pork shoulder. It keeps indefinitely without refrigeration, which has helped make it a military mainstay since World War II. But Islamic dietary rules forbid pork, so the Saudis asked the Americans to leave their SPAM behind.