TWhat was it? ers, could you tell the differ-
Ybor City Stories: The Way It Was Well, my mom, the master ence? No:
 chef, prepared the Spam with I don't really know when
 garlic, salt and pepper, and Spam phased out. I know I got
 fried it slowly over a low fire in married in 1950 and my bride
 a frying pan with Virgin Olive and I lived on a heavy diet
 Oil. Then, when it was about of Spam. And, if you went to
 done, she would put it in a someone's house to eat supper,
 fiat pan, which she filled with it was not unusual to carry a
 bread crumbs. The meat now few cans of Spam to supple-
 had been dipped in eggs, just ment the skimpy fare.
 like how she would prepare I don't know when it faded. I
 fried chicken every Sunday. know that the other day, in one
 Then she poured tomato sauce of my infrequent visits to Pub-
 on it and sprinkled peas, and lix, I was at the checkout and
 Svoila! Spam a la Milanesa. was shocked to see two cans of
 The Italians quickly followed Spam on a lady's order.
 suit, Spam a la Parmesan. With Y
 Sit was a thick cheese obscuring Spam? You still ea Spam?
 the ghastly taste of Spam. If The lady was obviously in her
 fixed properly and laid on a bed 60s. Sheknewwhat meant
 of spaghetti, it was a treat. No "No. Spam is for my dog.
 one ever tasted the Spam. He won't eat nothing else but
 At the Seabreeze there was a Spam."
 rice and seafood dish where the Well, at last, they found
 seafood was chunks of Spam. some use for Spam. I'm think-
 LcV-- No one objected. ing of writing a Spam cook-
 Drive-ins had spam-ham- book and calling it, "The Ybor
 2V"K t\ Vburger. With the great sauce City Cookbook of Disguised
 P T q wie an, 3\ that Taylor's had for hamburg- Spam."

 f~ VU -L \-\ \. INVITATION TO BID
 Competitive sealed bids will be received by the Southwest
 Florida Water Management District, Brooksville, Florida, and
 by Ferdie Pacheco degas were finally able to pay The war went on, and so publicly opened at the specified time for:
 All you can eat... their bills, dating back years did Spam. The kids had it fed
 Ifyou were alive in YborCi into the strike years to them in school cafeterias. RFB 0612 THE PURCHASE OF FORESTRY SYSTEM
during the Great Depression, Then therecame a miracle Downtown cafeterias featured REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT (SKIDDER). OPENS -May 1,
you very seldom heard those from the American food busi- Spam, disguised with veggies 2006 @ 2:00 P.M.
words. Food was rationed at ness. Meat was short. The or potatoes. Bid Documents, Specifications, and Drawings may be ob-
every dinner table. You might demand was huge from a nine Call it what you like, but tained for a fee from the District's Internet website at http://
get half or a fourth of an apple. million man army. The civilians I say it's SPAM and I say the www.watermatters.org/procurement or purchased from the
Half a flan. There just was not needed meat also. We needed hell with it!" said a cartoon in Purchasing Office, Southwest Florida Water Management
enough food to go around. some type of substitute. the Tribune. District, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899, or by
 Thewarcame. Theeconomy Hold on to your seat. Here But slowly there was a calling 352-796-7211, extension 4133, or 1-800-423-1476
heated up. Shipyards provided carne a nicely packed square of change. Spam became accept- (Florida only) or TDD ONLY 1-800-231-6103 (in Florida).
much extra money. Two air SPAM. Gulp, SPAM! able, even, gulp, desirable. And
force bases poured money Housewives opened the why do you imagine? Respondents requesting packages through the District will be
into the town. The demand can and could not identify the Ybor City housewives is charged copying and shipping/handling costs in accordance with
for tobacco for the soldiers meat as like anything they'd why. Spaniards, Italians and District Policy 13-2 Administrative Fees.
stepped up. seen before. And it also tasted Cubans started to disguise it. The District reserves the right to reject any or all bids/proposals
 In our kitchen we began like nothing they'd ever tasted. The time I remember enjoy- received with or without cause.
to see real food, canned food. Kids hid underneath the table ing Spam was when it was
Could anyone top the flavor of so they didn't have to eat it. disguised as Spam Milanesa. Malcolm K. Wilson, CPPO, MPA
VamCamps Pork & Beans? Bo- SPAM! UGH! I approved it with trepidation. Purchasing Manager 4/14/061T





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