Hawaiian burger and sushi bento box from The Cowfish in Charlotte, NC.

Spam Musubi at the Aloha Island Grille in Santa Cruz.

Oh. My. God. Want so hard.

The truth is, when cooked with some inventiveness, Spam is actually an interesting alternative to other salty meats, like bacon. I’ve found that the key is making sure to pair it with a carb (like plain white rice, a classic treatment) and thin-slicing it, so that its saltiness doesn’t overwhelm.