It's been eons since I chomped into a fried Spam sandwich. Spam is something I delete, not eat. But my brothers used to fry up Spam slices and layer them between bread with ketchup during our hormonal teenage years. Easy Spam was a good fit for two guys who also deemed a hot dog cooked after waving it under hot tap water for 10 seconds. Maybe it's the recession or the months of outrageous gas prices, but it appears a whole lot of Americans are eating Spam these days.

According to an article in the NYT, union workers report 12-oz glistening rectangles of ham and pork Spam are flying out of Hormel Food Corporation's Minnesota plant at a furious clip. Make that 149,950 cans of day-shift Spam to be precise. Interestingly, October data reveal pancake mixes, instant potatoes, vitamins, fruit/vegetable preservatives and beer are also selling like crazy. Rice and beans, too. My post-Depression grandmother regarded every can of food in her pantry 'money in the bank' -- cans of Spam would have qualified.

At 16 grams of fat per two ounce Spam Classic serving, pancakes, vitamins and rice and beans would be a better call. To be fair, there is a Spam Lite with half the fat. But affordable lean proteins are available, such as canned tuna, skim milk and eggs. I frequently find 93 or 99 percent fat-free ground turkey for sale at $3.99/lb, while a 12 ounce can of fattier Spam costs around $2.40. What about you? Do share your cheap, lean protein suggestions, so we can all emerge from this recession a bit healthier.